Peter Jerrod Macon (born May 18, 1982) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Lt. Commander Bortus in the Fox/Hulu television series The Orville (2017–2022), and Raka in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).

Early life

Macon was raised in Minneapolis and attended North Community High School, where he acted in school plays. His mother was a teacher, and his father was a truck driver.

Macon later attended the San Francisco Art Institute and the Yale School of Drama, where he earned a master's degree in acting.

Macon married Lucia Brawley, an actress who also attended Yale, in 2005. Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins officiated. They filed for divorce in 2009 and it was finalised in Los Angeles in March 2010. In 2018, Macon married Jacquelyn Woods.

Career

Stage theater

Macon acted for nearly 30 years at Twin Cities theaters including Penumbra, Illusion, and Children's Theatre Company, and he starred in the title role of Othello at the Guthrie Theater, as well as productions of the play in Dublin, Colorado, and Oregon.

Television

Macon in 2022

Macon has appeared in episodes of Nash Bridges, Law & Order, Without a Trace, Supernatural, The Shield, Dexter, Bosch, SEAL Team, and Shameless.

In 2017, Macon began playing Bortus in The Orville, a comedy-drama science fiction television series created by Seth MacFarlane that premiered on FOX on September 10 of that year. In 2021, Macon joined the voice cast of MacFarlane's animated series Family Guy, providing the voice of recurring character Preston Lloyd.

Film

Macon has starred in a selection of films and is best-known for his role as Raka in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. In an interview with Hollywood.com in 2024, he described how he prepared for the role by attending "Ape School". He also spoke about how he feels relief of not being recognised for the role due to his character being animated based on his motion.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994World and Time EnoughMike
2008Turok: Son of StoneTower Sentry (voice)Direct-to-video
2023Shelter in SolitudeJackson Marcus
2024Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesRaka
TBAAlly ClarkFilming

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1997, 1999Nash BridgesStaple, Weldon Howard2 episodes
2002Animated Tales of the WorldNarratorEpisode: "John Henry, the Steel Driving Man"
2004Law & OrderCopEpisode: "Gov Love"
2004Without a TraceCop #2Episode: "Doppelgänger: Part 2"
2007SupernaturalIsaacEpisode: "The Magnificent Seven"
2007DexterLeonisEpisode: "Resistance Is Futile"
2014How to Get Away with MurderDavid AllenEpisode: "Freakin' Whack-a-Mole"
2015–16BoschReverend Isiah Ott3 episodes
2016ShamelessLuther WinslowRecurring role
2016NCISICE Agent Todd BaldwinEpisode: "Home of the Brave"
2017–2022The OrvilleLt. Commander BortusMain role; 36 episodes
2019SEAL TeamMaster Chief WilkeEpisode: "Time to Shine"
2021–presentFamily GuyPreston Lloyd (voice)Recurring role
2026TedMr. LawrenceEpisode: "Talk Dirty to Me"

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996Twisted Metal 2Axel, Minion
1997Cool Boarders 2Boss
2017Wolfenstein II: The New ColossusBombate
2019AnthemCommander Vule

Awards

In 2002, Macon won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for narrating the episode "John Henry, the Steel Driving Man" of the television series Animated Tales of the World.

External links