Veteran actor Clifton Davis has joined the cast of Beyond the Gates, the first Black daytime soap opera in over three decades.
Davis will portray Vernon Dupree, the patriarch of the Dupree family and husband to Anita Dupree, played by previously announced cast member Tamara Tunie.
A former senator, Vernon is gentle, humble and generous with his knowledge and experience, according to the official description.
Related: CBS Announces Full Cast for Black Daytime Soap ‘Beyond the Gates’
With a career spanning 60 years in television, film, and Broadway, Davis is best known for his roles in the TV series That’s My Mama and Amen. His most recent projects include Clipped, Godfather of Harlem, and Madam Secretary.
In addition to Davis, other new cast members on the one-hour CBS series include Alex Alegria (Gossip Girl), Lauren Buglioli (A Jazzman’s Blues), Ben Gavin (A Place Called Home), Jibre Hordges (Grown-ish), Jen Jacob, and Mike Manning (This Is Us).
These are the final actors to join the show, CBS said this week.
Earlier cast announcements included Brandon Claybon, Timon Durrett, Sean Freeman, Marquita Goings, Maurice Johnson, Trisha Mann-Grant, RhonniRose Mantilla, Ambyr Michelle, Colby Muhammad, and Arielle Prepetit. Daphnee Duplaix will star as Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson, while Karla Mosley takes on the role of Dani Dupree.
Beyond the Gates is the first daytime drama with a primarily Black cast since Generations, which aired from 1989 to 1991. This also marks the first new soap on network TV since NBC’s Passions debuted in 1999.
The new series is being developed in a collaboration between CBS Studios and the NAACP.
Michele Val Jean, an award-winning writer on The Bold & the Beautiful, General Hospital, and Ambitions will serve as writer, showrunner and executive producer.
Additional executive producers include Sheila Ducksworth, Robert Guza Jr., Julie Carruthers, Leon W. Russell, Derrick Johnson, Kimberly Doebereiner and Anna Saalfeld.
Production on Beyond the Gates begins in November, with an anticipated CBS premiere in early 2025.