LaVan Davis

Actor and singer LaVan Davis was the head of the household for the syndicated sitcom "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS 2006-2012), the longest-running series with an African-American cast in television history. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Davis was a staple of the gospel and African-American theater scenes; he was an original member of the Ricky Grundy Chorale and performed with the Los Angeles Mass Choir, while also acting and singing in touring productions of "Voices" and "De Obeah Man," as well as numerous theater projects penned by Tyler Perry. He began his screenacting career in the independent science fiction film "Mindbenders" (2004) and appeared in other direct-to-video projects before Perry's popularity with African-American audiences led to his wildly successful career in film and on television. He enjoyed supporting character roles in Perry's screen adaptations of "Why Did I Get Married?" (2006), "Madea Goes to Jail" (2006) and "Daddy's Little Girls" (2007) before landing his star-making role as Curtis Payne on "Tyler Perry's House of Payne." The outspoken patriarch of a large, multi-generational family, Curtis oversaw the chaos of his household and job as chief of a fire department through a combination of volume and experience. Davis' performance won him NAACP Image Awards in 2008 and 2009, and he remained with the series until its conclusion in 2012. In 2018, Davis reprised his best-known role for "The Paynes" (OWN 2018-), a comedy series for the Oprah Winfrey Network that followed Curtis and his wife, Ella (played by Cassi Davis, who also reprised her "House of Payne" role) as they navigated retirement in Florida.