A major career break came when he starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler in NBC's television hospital drama "St. Elsewhere", which ran from 1982 to 1988. He was one of only a few African-American actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run. He also appeared in several television, motion picture and stage roles, such as the films "A Soldier's Story" (1984), "Hard Lessons" (1986) and "Power" (1986). In 1987, he starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Steven Biko in Richard Attenborough's "Cry Freedom", for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.