Eriq La Salle, born July 23, 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, is an actor, director, writer, and producer. He stars as Peter Benton from the first season to the eighth season. He reprises the role for the episodes "Old Times" and "And in the End..." for the fifteenth and final season. He has also appeared in the daytime soap operas One Life to Live (in 1985) and Another World (in 1987). He played Darryl Jenks in the film Coming to America (1988).