INPERSON
Canonsburg Native Fits the Bill
Lawrence Burgess , Jr ., is a rising star making his hometown proud .
BY MARK BERTON
Lawrence Burgess , Jr ., on set preparing for a role as a police officer .
You ’ ve seen Lawrence Burgess , Jr . You may not realize it , but you ’ ve seen him . Whether it ’ s a true crime episode on Discovery ID , playing the part of a husband of a murdered wife , or dancing in a Glide Floss commercial with Steeler Antonio Brown , Burgess has been acting for decades .
Like the roles he plays in commercials and major motion pictures , Burgess ’ life has been a series of diverse parts woven together to form the life of an extremely diverse individual .
A graduate of Canon-Mac who was a three-year starter and letterman for wrestling , cross-country and track , and a band member , Burgess enlisted in the Navy after high school and became a Desert Storm veteran . Since then , he ’ s been a pool shark — the only person in Washington County at the time to win first place 8-ball Mini Singlesz in the TAP League — a husband to his wife , Lisa , and a father to Emerald Elizabeth , who ’ s currently in fourth grade .
Aside from his family , Burgess says acting is what he loves the most for the fun of it and because it gives him the opportunity to portray positive African-American role models on screen and in his community . He said he draws inspiration from his father , Larry Burgess , a longtime employee of Cooper Power Systems who passed away in 1995 .
In 2015 , he got his first break in “ South Paw ,” playing a bit part as a police officer alongside Jake Gyllenhaal , Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams . The boxing film grossed more than $ 92 million at the box office .
He received his SAG card and has been submitting for roles ever since . “ I do everything independently , so it ’ s always submit , submit , submit ,” he says . “ Whether it ’ s New York , Atlanta , California , I ’ m always submitting and I always have a lot of faith that I ’ m going to get the roles .”
That hustle led to him getting a role with Discovery ID , but not as the role he submitted for , forcing him to improvise his character .
The story was a reenactment of a murder case in Florida . “ When I first went for this role , I went for the killer . They sent me
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