Harris was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of John Henry Harris, a bus driver and Mattie Harris, a housewife. He is the older brother of actor Wood Harris.[2] He attended St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a private school with a reputation for developing star athletes. Harris was a running back, and later played linebacker for Northern Illinois University, where he studied drama.[3] His athletic career was cut short due to a torn ligament in his ankle.[citation needed] After graduating from Northern Illinois University in 1989, Harris obtained a master's degree in acting at the University of Delaware.[1][2]
Harris starred in actress Regina King's directorial debut Let The Church Say Amen which was adapted from ReShonda Tate Billingsley's 2005 best selling novel. The film premiered on Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 2013. He appeared in the TNT show Legends, which aired on TNT from August 13, 2014 to December 28, 2015, playing Nelson Gates, the boss of troubled FBI agent Martin Odum (Sean Bean).
^ ab"Steve Harris (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 26, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.