Petri Hawkins-Byrd

Petri Hawkins-Byrd (born Petri Adonis Byrd;[1] November 29, 1957 Brooklyn, New York),[2][3] better known as Byrd, is an American television personality, known for his role as bailiff on the court program Judge Judy.

Petri Hawkins-Byrd
Born
Petri Adonis Byrd

(1957-11-29) November 29, 1957
New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Bailiff
  • television personality
Years active
  • 1986–present (television personality)
Known forJudge Judy

Biography

Byrd was born in the neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. After graduating from Eastern District High School, he attended Hostos Community College in The Bronx.[1]

Byrd started work as a court officer for the Brooklyn circuit of the New York City Court System. In 1986 he was transferred to the Family Court division in Manhattan. It was in this capacity that Byrd met Judge Judy Sheindlin, who was the Supervising Family Court Judge for Manhattan. In 1989 Hawkins-Byrd obtained a criminal justice degree from John Jay College.[4] A year later, he and his family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in California when he went to work for the United States Marshals Service.[1]

Judge Judy

In 1996, when Sheindlin was offered her own TV series, Byrd wrote her a congratulatory letter, saying: "If you ever need a bailiff, my uniform still fits." After she felt there was a lack of chemistry between her and the test actor, she called Byrd at home to offer him the role, which he accepted.[5][6]

To date, Byrd has been with the show for its entire run, making him the longest-running court show bailiff in history. His main role on the show consists of introducing cases (calling the parties forward, swearing the litigants, delivering the case number), delivering materials between the judge and the litigants, dismissing the parties, and escorting them out once the case is over. On several occasions, Byrd has had to play a larger role by controlling altercations or preventing potential altercations between the plaintiff(s) and the defendant(s). He has also contacted litigants' parole officers or performed drug tests. Despite his limited speaking role, only commenting when addressed by Sheindlin for the most part, Byrd is often seen supplying witty nonverbal expressions or exclamations.[7] Byrd will also share with Sheindlin where he thinks she went wrong and is available to provide answers in areas that she is unfamiliar with, such as math problems.[6]

Other activities

When not filming the Judge Judy series, Byrd works as an event M.C, guest speaker, charity supporter, and community activist.[1] He is the national chairman of the O.K. Program, which addresses social issues confronting black boys and young men and is on the board of the faith-based youth program Teen Center USA.[1]

References
  1. "Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Chairman of the O.K. Program". O.K. Program. Archived from the original on 2011-11-03. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  2. "Judge Judy". Judge Judy. Los Angeles. April 20, 2009. CBS, The CW, NBC, ABC (U. S. TV network), MyNetworkTV and Fox. KCBS-TV, WCBS-TV, KMAX-TV, WRBW, KDFW, WDRB, WNWO, WTTE, WSYX, WKEF, WXIX-TV, Fox Television Stations, CBS Television Stations, Block Communications, Gray Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group.
  3. Petri Hawkins-Byrd at IMDb
  4. "Petri Hawkins-Byrd". WCHS-TV. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  5. Dunteman, Dayna (February 2004). "Petri Hawkins Byrd". Sacramento Magazine. Archived from the original on 2009-08-13. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  6. Hamilton, Gary Gerard (December 1, 2020). "Petri Hawkins Byrd deliberates on life after 'Judge Judy'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2012-11-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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