Lou Beatty Jr.

Biography

Lou Beatty Jr. (Lou Roy Beatty Jr., born 2 August 1945, Detroit, Michigan) is an American film and television actor, active since 1988. He grew up in Detroit's North End and attended St. Emma Military Academy in Powhatan County, Virginia — a historic school established for African American students — before studying at Fisk University, where he played football. He moved to California in the late 1980s and has two children. He is best known for his recurring role as Rudy Richards in the final season of Dynasty (1988–89), Judge Gordon Kolodny in Boston Legal (2004–05), and Walter Howard in A Million Little Things (2018–2023). His most notable screen roles include Cop at Marla's Building in Fight Club (1999) (Brad Pitt, Edward Norton), General Manager in The Kid (2000) (Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin), Bus Driver in The Whole Ten Yards (2004) (Bruce Willis, Adam Sandler), Judge in Fast & Furious (2009) (Paul Walker, Vin Diesel), Janitor in Ford v Ferrari (2019) (Matt Damon, Christian Bale), and Earl in Novocaine (2025). He also appeared in Some Guy Who Kills People (2011) (Illeana Douglas, Michael C. Hall) and Comet (2014) (Megan Fox, Chris Evans).