Joe Manganiello

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder, Professor Gates has published numerous books and produced and hosted an array of documentary films. The Black Church (PBS) and Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches (HBO), which he executive produced, have each received Emmy nominations. His latest history series for PBS is Making Black America: Through the Grapevine. Finding Your Roots, Gates’s groundbreaking genealogy and genetics series, is now in its ninth season on PBS.

Gates is a recipient of a number of honorary degrees, including his alma mater, the University of Cambridge. Gates was a member of the first class awarded “genius grants” by the MacArthur Foundation in 1981, and in 1998 he became the first African-American scholar to be awarded the National Humanities Medal.

A native of Piedmont, West Virginia, Gates earned his B.A. in History, summa cum laude, from Yale University in 1973, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature from Clare College at Cambridge in 1979, where he is also an Honorary Fellow.  He is the co-founder of The Root.com.  A former chair of the Pulitzer Prize board, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and serves on a wide array of boards, including the New York Public Library, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Aspen Institute, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Library of America, and The Studio Museum of Harlem. In 2011, his portrait, by Yuqi Wang, was hung in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Manganiello earned a BFA in acting from The Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama before going on to become well known for his role on the hit series “True Blood,” as well as in the Magic Mike franchise, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, Pee Wee's Big Holiday, Sabotage, and Rampage.

He is currently in production on the Netflix series “One Piece.” He joins the series’ second season in the role of fan favorite villain, ‘Mr. 0’ aka Crocodile. He will begin production later this year in the title role of the post-apocalyptic feature film Mountain Man. The film, produced by his company 3:59, is an adaptation of the popular book series of the same name from Keith C. Blackmore.   

He can next be seen starring opposite Vince Vaughn in the feature film Nonnas. The film, set to be release in 2025 on Netflix, is based on the true story of Joe Scaravella, and the Italian restaurant he opened with a group of local grandmothers as its chefs.

Manganiello is the host and executive producer of the popular NBC primetime gameshow “Deal or No Deal Island.” The second season will premiere in early 2025. 

Some of Joe’s recent credits include a starring role in the feature film, The Kill Room, opposite Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson as well as the current seasons of AppleTV’s series “Mythic Quest,” and Netflix’s “Love Death and Robots.”  He starred in The Smiths’ infused indie feature Shoplifters of the World as well as the indie feature Archenemy.  Both films were produced by his company 3:59.  

Manganiello currently serves on the board of trustees for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

TICKETS AND SEATING

Tickets are not required. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

DIRECTIONS

Driving directions to LMU are available. Please use the main LMU entrance at Lincoln and LMU Drive. PDF Campus Map | Interactive Campus Map 

PARKING

Please enter campus via Lincoln Boulevard. Parking will be available in Drollinger Parking Plaza and Lot-A, Hannon Parking Lot. We recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before the start of the presentation to allow time for parking and locating the event. 

Please note that LMU charges visitors to park. Pay kiosks are located in each lot. You will need your license plate number to register your vehicle at the kiosk. Parking and rate information is available.