Most students know him as Roger Murtaugh, Mel Gibson's counterpart in all of the Lethal Weapon movies. But he has done much more.

At 8 p.m. today in Eisenhower Auditorium, Danny Glover will address students as a member of Penn State's Distinguished Speaker Series.

Glover has appeared in 38 films, including the Lethal Weapon series, Beloved and The Color Purple. He has been placed in the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame for his work in the industry.

"He's not just an internationally known actor," said Amy Neil, information officer from the university's public relations department.

Although his main occupation in life has been acting, Glover has also done work in other fields.

Glover has waged civil rights related battles around the country. He is well-known for promoting racial and diversity awareness, and is an advocate for literacy and human rights worldwide.

He took an interest in racism and apartheid issues in South Africa and appeared in the 1987 television movie Mandela, the story of Nelson Mandela's work in South Africa. At the time of the movie, Mandela was spending his twenty-fifth year in jail.

Glover was the first goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Development Programme, which, according to the United Nations Web site, offers "advice, advocacy and resources for empowering the poor."

His experiences impressed others as well.

"One thing that really impressed me was the fact that Glover was the first goodwill ambassador to the United Nations Development Program," Neil said.

Glover speaks to students around the country emphasizing the need for literacy and education in order to improve one's life.

"Glover fights for eliminating poverty, cleaning up the environment, rights of women as well as racial issues. This is someone whose interests lie in so many areas," Neil said.

Born in 1947, Glover attended San Francisco State University where he graduated with a degree in economics. He worked as a civil servant for the city of San Francisco until he was 28, when he began his work in theater.

It wasn't until he was in his thirties that he gave up his traditional job and began to work as a full-time actor.

Glover has won two NAACP Image Awards, the CableACE Award, an MTV Movie Award and an award from the TransAfrica Forum, all of which represent his continued dedication to racial and social issues in America and worldwide. He has also been nominated for an Emmy.

"The Distinguished Speaker Series tries to offer a program of diverse speakers, each year different than the last," Grenoble said. She went on to say that they pick speakers who they feel would be of the most interest to students.

The event is free, but tickets are required. According to employees at Eisenhower Auditorium, all orchestra level seats — about 1700 tickets — have been given out, but tickets are still available at other levels. Students still wishing to obtain tickets should call the box office in Eisenhower Auditorium at 863-8205.