TV Guide
by Shawna Malcolm

Creative Forces

As the enigmatic Dr. Theodore Morris, Dennis Haysbert makes Now and Again sing – literally. "He's got one heck of a voice," Glenn Gordon Caron, who's had the actor warble on camera everything from the Carpenter's "Close to You" to "Fly Me to the Moon," made famous by Frank Sinatra: "I'd be a fool not to take advantage of it." Haysbert felt the same way after hearing about Now. "My character is intelligent, accomplished and charming:" says the 44-year-old. "I've waited my entire career for this." In the meantime, the California native starred opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992's critically acclaimed "Love Field," knocked one out of the park as a spiritually awakened power hitter in the "Major League" films and romanced Whitney Houston in "Waiting to Exhale." Still, he couldn't breathe easy until Now. "Most of the rolls I've been offered have been ethnically charged and stereotypical," says Haysbert. "But I've always known I could do more." He's relishing his part as "creator, professor and friend" to Close's bionic hero. "People say I'm cruel," says Haysbert, whose character has threatened to kill the $3 billion man should he reveal his identity to anyone and has forced him to jump out of a plane to test the effectiveness of a gravity-defying jumpsuit. "But it's about tough love. I have to be stern in telling him what he can and can't do, so he'll realize his full potential."

December 25, 1999