‘The Blacklist’ Adds Leon Rippy; Phylicia Rashad Joins ‘Empire’

Saving Grace alum Leon Rippy has booked a recurring role on the fourth season of NBC’s hit drama series The Blacklist. Rippy will play Hunter, a mysterious survivalist who stumbles upon a secret that will have dire consequences. He’s an enigmatic character whose unhinged behavior makes him hard to pin down as friend or foe. Rippy, who starred in HBO’s Deadwood, most recently was seen on Hulu miniseries 11.22.63. He is repped by Greene & Associates Talent Agency.

The Cosby Show matriarch Phylicia Rashad is set for a recurring role on Season 3 of Fox’s Empire. She will play Diana Dubois, a powerhouse from one of New York’s most prominent African American families and the mother of Taye Diggs’ character Angelo Dubois. Diana’s interactions with Cookie (Tarji P. Henson), Lucious (Terrence Howard) and the rest of the Lyon clan will lay bare the stark class divides that can exist, even within the black community. Best known for her portrayal of Cosby Show‘s Clair Huxtable, the Tony and Emmy winner can currently be seen on Amazon’s Jean-Claude Van Johnson opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme and is set to appear in HBO’s Tour de Pharmacy, a sports mockumentary starring Andy Samberg.

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