'CSI: NY' Star and Obama's Friend, Now a Single Dad of an Adopted Boy — '00s Heartthrob's Stunning Transformation in 30+ Photos

He walked away from Hollywood, survived a life-threatening illness, and became a single father overnight. Now the internet can't stop saying how much his son looks just like him.

In the early 2000s, he was everywhere. As the medical examiner-turned-crime scene investigator on "CSI: NY," he brought a calm brilliance to one of TV's most-watched crime dramas, a role that made him a familiar face in living rooms across America.

From there, he kept audiences hooked with scene-stealing turns in "Limitless," "The Good Doctor," and "City of Angels," proving he was more than just a procedural staple. His presence was magnetic, his momentum unstoppable.

What happened to the man behind the badge? And how did he end up a single father, standing alone in a hospital delivery room, cutting his newborn son's umbilical cord?

He Had Hollywood in His Hands, Then Walked Away

He wasn't just a one-show wonder. He moved fluidly across genres, landing roles in sci-fi thrillers, medical dramas, and high-profile films like "The Skulls," "For Colored Girls," and "All Eyez on Me."

And then, he decided to run for office. In 2023, he launched a campaign for U.S. Senate in Michigan, running as a Democrat on a platform of economic justice and union rights.

"If I'm elected to the U.S. Senate, I will be the only U.S. senator who is a current dues-paying, card-carrying union member," he said. "If I'm elected [...] I believe [I'll be] the only Democrat [who is also a small business owner]."

By August 6, 2024, his bid had ended in defeat. Representative Elissa Slotkin had secured the seat. But his presence in the race left a mark and signaled a dramatic shift in his public life.

Ties to a President, a Needle in His Neck, and the Day Everything Changed

Politics wasn't unfamiliar territory. He met Barack Obama during their first week at Harvard Law School and remained close.

"I've known him for almost 20 years," he said in 2008. "I looked up to him, and not just because he's taller than I am [...] He gets it right [...] He's extremely intelligent, extremely pragmatic."

In 2013, Obama appointed him to the President's Cancer Panel, a symbolic title that would later take on personal meaning. Years later, while filming in Atlanta, he woke up one morning unable to swallow.

"I knew I wasn't sick," he shared in 2017. But after consulting a doctor friend, he underwent an immediate biopsy. "Next thing I know, later that afternoon, I'm sitting on a table with 16 needles sticking into my neck, with ultrasound guiding them, extracting fluid."

The result: thyroid cancer. His father had been diagnosed with the same condition at the same age and had since passed away. He had surgery to remove his thyroid and began learning how to care for his health post-op.

"Everything was great," he said. But his life was already turning toward a different kind of transformation.

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

In 2015, a friend urged him to consider adoption. "I thought, you know, you get married, you have kids," he recalled. "And I was like, 'Oh, I'm not ready. I'm not married yet.'" But the friend pushed: "Why not? Just have a conversation."

That conversation led him to an adoption attorney. Then, just days before Thanksgiving, his phone rang: a woman was due to give birth in three weeks and was looking for adoptive parents.

He had only a moment to decide. But after speaking with the woman, his decision was clear. "I really felt like it was God telling me to do it," he said. "And I'm so glad that he chose me, and [Pierce's mom] and God and the universe chose me."

In December 2015, he stood in the delivery room, cut the umbilical cord, and welcomed his son, Pierce, into the world.

'I Was So Scared': A Single Dad with No Script

"I was so scared," he admitted. "I think because it was such a huge decision. But looking back now, all the fears I had were ridiculously small compared to the joy of having him in my life and having the opportunity to be a father."

"[Adopting Pierce] was the greatest decision I've ever made and I've never been happier," he told People in 2017. Becoming a single father meant figuring it out on the fly.

"Until the last 18 months, I'd never changed one diaper in my life, and now I've changed thousands," he said, laughing. He had help from his mother, extended family, and his girlfriend, but the hands-on, daily work of parenting rested mostly on him.

Fans Can't Believe the Resemblance

Fans have taken notice of the father-son bond and the uncanny resemblance. "He wears you face...❤️" commented one fan.

"Good morning Prince Pierce❣️. You're mini-me for sure, a cutie💜," gushed another. Another one added, "He is beautiful! He looks so much like you! Happy Birthday Pierce!😊🎂"

He's played doctors, lawyers, tech geniuses, and hopeful senators. But no role has meant more than the one he's now living. So... who is he?

It's Hill Harper, the actor who once lit up screens across America, now quietly raising his son Pierce and calling fatherhood the greatest joy of his life.