Haysbert has been acting in film and television since 1979, starting with a guest role in The White Shadow. His television guest starring roles include Lou Grant, Laverne & Shirley, The A-Team, Dallas, Magnum, P.I., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Duckman.

On film, Haysbert has appeared in Absolute Power, Random Hearts and Far From Heaven among others. In 1989, Haysbert portrayed Pedro Cerrano, a voodoo-practicing Cuban refugee baseball player in the movie Major League, in which he uttered the memorable line: "It is very bad to steal Jobu's rum. Very bad". In 1992, Haysbert co-starred with Michelle Pfeiffer in Love Field, a film about a series of events occurring contemporaneously with the assassination and funeral of President John F. Kennedy. In 1999, Haysbert starred with Eric Close in Now and Again, which was cancelled after its first season.

In 2001, Haysbert became better known when he was cast in 24 playing U.S. Senator David Palmer, who served as America's first Black President (in the context of the show) during the second and third seasons. He also returned as a guest star in the last six episodes of season 4 and the first episode of season 5.

(wikipedia.org)