Actor, Comedian. Born in New York City, he began his career as a stand-up comedian and was acclaimed by "Time" magazine as one of the country's four most celebrated African American comics in the 1960s. He branched into acting performing on Broadway in 1962, in the play "Nature's Way" for which he received a Tony Award nomination. For feature films, he made his debut in "The President's Analyst" (1967), followed by "The Biggest Bundle of Them All" (1968), "Bye Bye Braverman" (1968) and was most noted for his lead role as Jeff Gerber in "Watermelon Man" (1970). For television, he appeared on many series shows such as "The Red Skelton Hour," "The Monkees," "Night Gallery," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Naked City," and "Police Story." At the height of his career, he died suddenly at age 43 in Burbank, California.
Actor, Comedian. Born in New York City, he began his career as a stand-up comedian and was acclaimed by "Time" magazine as one of the country's four most celebrated African American comics in the 1960s. He branched into acting performing on Broadway in 1962, in the play "Nature's Way" for which he received a Tony Award nomination. For feature films, he made his debut in "The President's Analyst" (1967), followed by "The Biggest Bundle of Them All" (1968), "Bye Bye Braverman" (1968) and was most noted for his lead role as Jeff Gerber in "Watermelon Man" (1970). For television, he appeared on many series shows such as "The Red Skelton Hour," "The Monkees," "Night Gallery," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Naked City," and "Police Story." At the height of his career, he died suddenly at age 43 in Burbank, California.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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