2020 STARS Hall of Fame

Hill Harper

Actor, Youth Advocate & NY Times Best-Selling Author

Bella Vista High School

Hill Harper is a celebrated actor, New York Times–bestselling author, and a passionate advocate for education, health, and equity. A San Juan Unified alum, he rose to national recognition as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on CSI: NY, earning three NAACP Image Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He later appeared on acclaimed series like Covert Affairs, Limitless, Homeland, and most recently played Dr. Marcus Andrews on ABC’s top-rated The Good Doctor until 2024.

Harper also hosts the true-crime series How It Really Happened with Hill Harper on HLN and stars in the podcast Legal Wars.

As an author, Hill has penned four bestsellers, including Letters to a Young Brother, Letters to a Young Sister, The Conversation, and The Wealth Cure—a memoir about his thyroid cancer journey. Letters to a Young Brother was named Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association in 2007.

Fueled by his belief in empowerment through education, he founded the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, a nonprofit offering mentorship, scholarships, and grants for underserved youth . He also launched The Black Wall Street, a Web3 digital platform aimed at supporting financial literacy and equity .

Academically, Hill graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and earned a J.D. and M.P.A., both with honors, from Harvard University .

In 2023, Hill ran for the U.S. Senate in Michigan on a progressive platform advocating for universal healthcare, climate justice, and a living wage, earning praise for rejecting a $20 million donation tied to political conditions.

From his foundation’s impact to his expansive creative and civic achievements, Hill Harper continues to inspire and advocate for change rooted in purpose and possibility.