Unscripted: Petri Hawkins-Byrd

Back in the 1980s, Petri Hawkins-Byrd worked as a bailiff for circuit judges in the New York City court system -- among them Judge Judith Sheindlin. When Sheindlin signed a deal in 1996 to star in her own syndicated TV series, Judge Judy, she invited Hawkins-Byrd -- by then a high school student counselor in California -- to join her team. That's how this imposing Brooklyn native became America's best-paid courtroom bailiff. With his stony glare and deadpan sense of humour, he is today one of daytime TV's most endearing sidekicks.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• petri hawkins-byrd
• judge judy
• visiontv
• unscripted

[cun7us]

Love this guy's voice. It's so relaxing :)

[Caziegirl]

@Paralyt1c even a crack dealer can be well read

[Jasonc189]

Where's part 2?

[Paralyt1c]

His father well read? I just saw a video where he said his dad was a crack dealer and heroin addict.

[nauris706]

id like to see him in a film

[fume0ne]

its Darryl Philbin's less fat better looking younger brother!

such a lucky family to have two prime time stars in one family!

[lesterclaypool1]

@Tonetare

There's an inteview online that Byrd did with Sacramento Magazine where he talks about his parents. In it it says that his father was a drug dealer who bounced between prison and rehab. From the tone of how the piece is written it doesn't sound as though Byrd holds any hard feelings, it just is what it is.

It was his mother who instilled his work ethic in him, it seems. He also credits Thurgood Marshall .

It's an interesting article about an interesting man. Nice to meet you.

[Tonetare]

@lesterclaypool1 Very much enjoyed your feedback, Lester. Interesting info you provided there about Byrd having a father that suffered from addiction. I never knew that. Where'd you find that out? You seem to know a lot about Byrd. What else do you know about him? You strike me as a man of great intelligence and wisdom yourself, judging from how you carry yourself and being a 50 year old white male and all. I have a lot of respect for that. I enjoy learning from my elders.

[lesterclaypool1]

@Tonetare

Byrd credits education, reading and entertainment with getting him away from elements of his life that were unsavory, like his father suffering addiction and the problems that come with it. He also saw your grandfather's generation changing minds by changing the law, as opposed to breaking it.

I'm a 50 year old white male and I look up to Byrd because he's made his own opportunity, which can be hard to do, and because he learned from those who went before...just like you're doing.

[Tonetare]

On the show, Byrd can have sense of humor but for the most part he's very matter-of-fact and he's surly and hates it when litigants don't know enough to hand him the paper but come running up to Judy. Him and Judy be getting on each other's nervs a little bit also. LMFAO! I like it when Judy kind of tries to use him to gang up on the litigants. I call them a crabby combination and it really does draw ratings the way they both act and work so well together. LOL!