Hill Harper (born Francis Harper), is an author and film, television, and stage actor, and was born on May 17, 1966 in Iowa City, Iowa. Harper graduated from Brown University magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He received a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. While studying at Harvard, Harper was a full-time member of Boston's Black Folks Theater Company, one of the oldest and most acclaimed African-American traveling theater groups. After graduating from Harvard, Harper moved to Los Angeles to purue acting. In 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Westfield State… College. Harper's film and television experience began in 1993 with recurring work on the television series "Married...with Children" and the film "Confessions of a Dog." Harper's best-known role is a crime-scene-investigator, Sheldon Hawkes, on CSI: NY. Harper is the author of several books including the best-selling book: Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny (2006).