Everything about Dennis Haysbert invites trust:

The imposing 6-foot-4 1/2-inch stature. The velvet bass voice with rich hints of Paul Robeson and James Earl Jones. The friendly, confident smile.

And more than anything, the bearing -- the indefinable command presence of Sgt. Maj. Jonas Blane, of "24's" President David Palmer, of the guy who tells good drivers they'll get a break with Allstate.

You're in good hands with Haysbert.

"He's a 21st-century Marshal Dillon," says Shawn Ryan, executive producer of "The Unit," the CBS action drama in which Haysbert stars on Tuesday nights. (Matt Dillon, of course, was the legendary lawman of "Gunsmoke" who brought order to Dodge City.) "He carries himself in a way that demands you, as a viewer, look at him."

Haysbert is passionate about "The Unit," the story of an elite squad of U.S. Army Rangers.

The series, inspired by Delta Force, the Army's hush-hush counterterrorism outfit, "is a healing for the nation and for the military," says Haysbert, who plays Blane, the team's leader.

"The Unit" has done well, given that it usually goes up against one of two Fox heavyweights, "American Idol" or "House." Haysbert and crew have averaged nearly 11.5 million viewers per week this season, running second to Fox in the 9 p.m. Tuesday time slot.

Haysbert describes "The Unit," created by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet and former Delta Force member Eric L. Haney, as pro-military but not pro-war.

The show, Haysbert says, gives viewers "an understanding of what our military goes through" -- and what their spouses, whose stories make up a major part of "The Unit," go through.

"We're trying to tell you the truth of what is going on out there," Haysbert says. The 52-year-old actor is no less enthusiastic about the character he plays.

Ask Haysbert to describe himself, and some of the traits he cites could easily be attributed to Blane: sense of humor, loyalty, trustworthiness, fierceness, unrelenting drive.

"Sometimes, I like to feel as though I'm channeling Blane, because he's a tough guy, and I like who he is," Haysbert says. "He's a compassionate warrior."

The son of a San Mateo, Calif., deputy sheriff, Haysbert decided at the age of 10 that he wanted to be an actor, although he was a high-school football standout. (A brother, Adam, played wide receiver on Brigham Young's 1984 national championship team).

But it was acting, not football, for Dennis, who decorated his room with posters of Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando and Laurence Olivier.

He made his first television appearance in the '70s on "Lou Grant," playing a teenager interested in journalism.

That debut was followed by guest appearances on enough TV shows to fill an issue of TV Guide, including "The White Shadow"; "Laverne & Shirley"; "Battlestar Galactica"; "Quincy, M.E."; "Dallas"; "Magnum, P.I."; "The A-Team"; and "Growing Pains." Haysbert has appeared in more than 20 films, including "Major League," "Far From Heaven" and "Breach."

His impressive height and sonorous voice have proved both "a detriment and an asset," Haysbert says.

They intimidate some actors, who have balked at working with him. "I've had directors tell me they would love to have me, but so-and-so is not going to go for it," Haysbert says.

His staunch physical presence is just fine with other performers, including Regina Taylor, who plays Blane's wife, Molly.

"I think there's a plus to having a gorgeous and melodious man by your side," she says by phone from California. "A huge part of the success of the show is absolutely Jonas Blane. It's the cachet he brings. He's a man's man, and easy on the eyes for the ladies."

Haysbert believes his height and voice worked for him in "24," where his character, David Palmer, was both a former basketball player and a politician. And landing the role was a big career boost.

"Playing President Palmer really put me on the map," he says. "Quite frankly, I think that's what got me the Allstate ad. Then came 'The Unit'; I wanted to play something a bit more action-oriented."

Action is exactly what he gets in "The Unit," where Jonas Blane flies off to war zones the way other guys take the bus to work. Playing Blane is physically demanding. "I stay in pretty good shape," says Haysbert.

He seems a little uncomfortable with a suggestion that he is carving out a niche as an authority figure. All his roles are different, he says.

"In Allstate, I'm an advocate," he explains. "I don't tell anybody what to do, I just show them choices. (As Jonas Blane), I get my orders, and I go out and implement them."