Petri Hawkins-Byrd Biography
Petri Hawkins-Byrd alias Byrd is a renowned reality television personality. He is famous for his role as bailiff on the court program Judge Judy. In the cast, he serves as a legal officer who is a manager or custodian with some degree of authority while carrying out his official duties.
Petri started work as a court officer for the Brooklyn circuit of the New York City Court System. He was later relocated to Manhattan’s Family Court division in 1986.
It is while in this role that he met Judge Judy Sheindlin. During this period, Judge Judy was the supervising Family Court Judge for Manhattan. In 1989, he graduated with a degree in criminal justice from John Jay College.
A year later, Hawkins and his entire family relocated to the San Fransisco Bay Area in California to work for the United States Marshals services.
Petri Hawkins Byrd Age
Petri Hawkins is 66 years old as of November 2023. He was born on November 29, 1957, in Brooklyn, New York, the United States of America. In addition, Petri celebrates his birthday on November 29th every year.
Hawkins-Byrd Family
Byrd was born in the neighborhood of Graytown Road in Jacksonville, NC as the youngest of five siblings. He joined the judicial service as a court officer for the Brooklyn circuit of the New York City Court System. In 1986 he’s transferred to the Family Court division in Manhattan.
While still serving there, its when Byrd met Judge Judy Sheindlin, who was the Supervising Family Court Judge for Manhattan. In 1989 Hawkins-Byrd obtains a criminal justice degree from John Jay College.
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.
Petri Hawkins Education
After graduating from Southwest High School, he attended Hostos Community College in The Bronx.
Petri Hawkins-Byrd Wife
Petri is currently married to her wife Makita Bond Byrd since May 4, 2019. The duo met back in 2012 and went for a comedy show. However, they lost contact. In 2015, Petri tried to reach Makita but after a few messages, there was still no hope.
After featuring in the Judge Judy show as bailiff, Petri was obviously on set and Makita thought of giving him a surprise appearance on-set. Unfortunately, he did not appear to recognize her during the surprise but still acted like during the interaction.
Since then they dated for quite some time until May 4, 2019, when the two tied a knot. Previously, he was married to Felicia. The couple had four children together. The couple later separated and his wife moved with the children to the West Coast.
Petri Hawkins-Byrd Judge Judy
In 1996, when Sheindlin was offered her own TV series, Byrd writes her a congratulatory letter, saying: “If you ever need a bailiff, my uniform still fits.” Judge Judy invited him to her home to offer him a role, which he accepted.
On and up 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 in the show is basically 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 done.
Moreover, Byrd has had to play a larger role by controlling altercations or preventing potential altercations between the plaintiff(s) and the defendant(s).
On occasions, he has contacted litigants’ parole officers or performed drug tests. Despite the nature of his role, Byrd is often seen supplying surly and lackadaisical nonverbal expressions or exclamations.
Byrd will tell Sheindlin where she is wrong and is almost always able to provide answers in areas that Sheindlin is unfamiliar with, such as mathematics, used car prices, current fads, technology, computer-related subjects, etc.
When he is not in the cast for his usual program, Byrd works as an event M.C, guest speaker, charity supporter, and community activist. 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.
Petri Hawkins-Byrd Awards
- Nominations: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
Petri Hawkins-Byrd Net Worth
As of 2020, Hawkin-Byrd is estimated at a net worth of $3.5 million.
Petri Hawkins-Byrd Height
Hawkins stands at an approximate height of 6 feet 2 inches(1.88m). In addition, his body weight is around 109kg(240 Ibs).