Biography for
Colin Powell More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

5 April 1937, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name

Colin Luther Powell

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Spouse

Alma Johnson

(25 August 1962 - present) 3 children

Trivia

Served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-1993).

Served as President Ronald Reagan's National Security Adviser (1987-1989).

Received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Service Medal (Army), the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and other awards.

Was chosen as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger during the Ronald Reagan Administration.

He served the Jimmy Carter Administration as an executive assistant in both the Energy Department and the Defense Department.

Earned an MBA from George Washington University in 1971.

While in college, he joined the ROTC, and received a commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation.

Served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam, and received the Purple Heart.

Graduated from Morris High School (South Bronx, NY) in 1954.

Has three children: Michael, Linda, and Ann

Graduated from City College of New York in 1958 with a B.S. in geology.

Served as US Secretary Of State under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005.

Father of Linda Powell.

Was the first African-American man to be US Secretary Of State

In his autobiography, he claims that his mother is descended from Gen. Sir Eyre Coote (b. 1760, d. 1823), Governor of Jamaica (1806-1808) though he does not provide details of the descent.

Personal Quotes

[About the late Foreign Minister of Sweden, Anna Lindh] "There are three things I like about Sweden: ABBA, Volvo, and Anna!"

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

[in response to Harry Belafonte's "house slave" remark about him] "If Harry had wanted to attack my politics, that was fine. If he wanted to attack a particular position I hold, that was fine. But to use a slave reference, I think, is unfortunate and is a throwback to another time and another place that I wish Harry had thought twice about using."

[regarding the notorious prison at the US Navy's Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba set up by the George W. Bush administration to hold suspects accused of terrorist activities without trial or charges] "If it was up to me, I would close Guantanamo not tomorrow but this afternoon."

He [Saddam Hussein] has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. - speaking in Cairo, on February 24, 2001.

Where Are They Now

(January 2001) U. S. Secretary of State

(2006) Release of the book, "Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell" by Karen DeYoung.

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