Award-Winning Actor and Mental Health Champion Courtney B. Vance To Give Commencement Address at William James College

The acclaimed actor, producer, and author will also receive an honorary degree at the College’s June 8 ceremonies.

(Newton, MA) - William James College today announced that Courtney B. Vance — an award-winning actor, producer, and acclaimed author— will serve as the commencement address speaker during ceremonies on Sunday, June 8th  at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. Vance will also receive an honorary degree from the college, an independent, non-profit institution and a leader in educating the next generation of behavioral health professionals, along with Molly Baldwin, founder of ROCA, a nonprofit social service agency serving young people across the Commonwealth and in Baltimore, Maryland, and Dr. Ken Duckworth, Chief Medical Officer for the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI).

Known for his versatility and memorable performances on Broadway, as well as in film and television, Vance co-authored with Dr. Robin L. Smith THE INVISIBLE ACHE: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power, which Kirkus Reviews called a “thoughtful, wise, empathetic book that has the capacity to save lives.”

 His long list of credits includes historically noteworthy films such as Hamburger Hill, The Hunt for Red October, The Preacher’s Wife, and The Adventures of Huck Finn. Vance’s powerful portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in FX’s The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, of “Uncle George” in HBO’s Lovecraft Country, and of Rev. C.L. Franklin in NatGeo’s Genius: Aretha have earned him two EMMYs, a Critics Choice Award, a Black Reel TV Award, and multiple NAACP Image Awards, as well as SAG, Golden Globe, and Hollywood Critics Association nominations. He won a TONY for his performance of Hap Hairston on Broadway in Lucky Guy and is the recipient of the Bounce Trumpet Award for Excellence in Entertainment and the ABFF Honors Award for Excellence in the Arts. In addition, Vance earned a Grammy nomination for his narration of Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s ACCESSORY TO WAR. His starring role in the criminal justice TV drama 61st Street earned him an African American Film Critics Association TV Honor. He also stars in the live action feature film Lilo & Stitch as well as the hit TV series Percy Jackson & the Olympians. 

Vance recently completed the narration of W.E.B. DuBois: Biography of a Race, the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by David Levering Lewis, which will be in audiobook format for the first time and available on June 17.

Vance, who studied history at Harvard and acting at Yale School of Drama, is the co-founder of Bassett Vance Productions with his wife, Angela Bassett. The company’s first original film, Heist 88, was one of the most watched original movies on the Showtime Network in 2023 and earned three NAACP Image Award nominations. Vance serves as Chairman and President of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

About William James College

Founded in 1974, William James partners with community agencies and organizations to eliminate barriers to education, improve access to high quality care, create a pathway to careers in behavioral health for students with diverse backgrounds and life experiences, and support the growing and evolving needs of the mental health workforce.  

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