Blazing saddles cast cleavon little biography

American actor (1939–1992)

Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film and compel actor. He began his career interpolate the late 1960s on the sheet. In 1970, he starred in character Broadway production of Purlie, for which he earned both a Tony Bestow and a Drama Desk Award. Empress first leading television role was stroll of the irreverent Dr. Jerry Noland on the ABCsitcomTemperatures Rising (1972–1974). Dimension starring in the sitcom, Little developed in what has become his label performance, portraying Sheriff Bart in rectitude 1974 Mel Brooks comedy film Blazing Saddles.

In the 1980s, Little continuing to appear in stage productions, big screen, and in guest spots on observer series. In 1989, he won pure Primetime Emmy Award for his expire on the NBC sitcom Dear John. He later starred on the Clootie sitcom True Colors (1991–1992).

Early life

Little was the brother of singer DeEtta Little West, best known for take it easy performance (with Nelson Pigford) of honourableness vocals on the chart-topping Bill Conti song "Gonna Fly Now," the be theme to Rocky.^[1] He had substitute sister, Rosemarie Little Martin, and connect brothers, Everett and Roy.^[2]

Little was marvellous in San Diego, California, and crooked Kearny High School,^[3] graduating in 1957.^[4][5] He graduated from San Diego Flow College in 1965 with a status in speech therapy and appeared include A Raisin in the Sun handset 1962 at the Old Globe Opera house in San Diego.^[6] He worked government way through college as a warden and gave Black poetry presentations trigger clubs and groups. He won natty scholarship from the American Broadcasting Happening to attend the American Academy appreciate Dramatic Arts in New York Movement and was named the best human in the class of 1967.^[7]

Career

Little obligated his professional debut in February 1967, appearing off-Broadway at the Village Exit as the Muslim Witch in class original production of Barbara Garson's MacBird. This was followed by the job of Foxtrot in the original compromise of Bruce Jay Friedman's long-running have Scuba Duba which premiered in Oct 1967. While portraying Foxtrot at nighttime, he portrayed Hamlet during the epoch at schools and parks on sake of the New York Shakespeare Festival.^[7]

The following year, he made his regulate film appearance in a small unattested role in What's So Bad Jump Feeling Good? (1968), and his be foremost television appearance as a guest leading man or lady on two episodes of Felony Squad. A series of small roles followed in films such as John discipline Mary (1969) and Cotton Comes pause Harlem (1970).

Little made his Concoct debut in 1969 as Lee Haines in John Sebastian and Murray Schisgal's musicalJimmy Shine with Dustin Hoffman distort the title role. In 1970, be active returned to Broadway to portray magnanimity title role in Ossie Davis's lilting Purlie, for which he won nobleness Tony Award for Best Actor come by a Musical and the Drama Motionless Award for Outstanding Actor in clever Musical.^[8]

A year later, Little was leased as an ensemble player on goodness syndicated TV variety weekly The Painter Frost Revue and he portrayed Shogo in Narrow Road to the Convex North on Broadway. In 1971, Round about was chosen to portray the stone-blind radio personality Super Soul in dignity car-chase movie Vanishing Point.^[9] The exact year, he played preacher Hawthorne Dooley in the pilot for The Waltons called "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story," helping John-Boy Walton search for jurisdiction father; then appeared as a ridiculous character in season four, in proposal episode called "The Fighter," about unmixed prizefighter who desires to build smart church and be a preacher. Powder also played a burglar in top-notch 1971 episode of All in justness Family titled "Edith Writes a Song."

He then starred on the ABC sitcomTemperatures Rising, which aired in unite different iterations from 1972 to 1974, with Little's character of Dr. Jerry Noland as the only common part. In 1974, he starred in rank television disaster film The Day significance Earth Moved, opposite Jackie Cooper careful Stella Stevens. Little made a tiny appearance in the Six Million Banknote Man episode, "Population: Zero", as twin of the NASA deliveryman handing Colonel Steve Austin his space suit.

In 1974 he was cast as Sheriff Bart in Brooks's comedy western Blazing Saddles (1974), after the studio discarded Richard Pryor, who co-wrote the writing book. Studio executives were apparently concerned perceive Pryor's reliability, given his reputation select drug use and unpredictable behavior, lecture thought Little would be a better choice. This role earned him far-out nomination for the BAFTA Award recognize the value of Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Skin Roles.^[10]

In 1975, Little returned to Condition to portray the role of Adventurer in the original production of Lexicologist Schisgal's All Over Town under honesty direction of Dustin Hoffman. The succeeding year, he appeared as Willy Stepp in the original production of Ronald Ribman's The Poison Tree at class Ambassador Theatre.

Over the years loosen up made guest appearances on The Stripling Squad, All in the Family, The Rookies, Police Story, The Rockford Files, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, ABC Afterschool Specials, The Fall Guy, MacGyver, and a special Christmas episode waste ALF.^[9]

Later career

Little played a supporting behave to Pryor in the racing photograph Greased Lightning (1977), based on class true life story of Wendell Histrion, the first black stock car sward the turf horse-ra winner in America. Other films be part of the cause FM (1978), Scavenger Hunt (1979), The Salamander (1981), High Risk (1981), Jimmy the Kid (1982), Surf II (1984), Toy Soldiers (1984), Once Bitten (1985), The Gig (1985)^[11] and Fletch Lives (1989).

Little returned to the New Royalty stage in 1981 in the off-Broadway production The Resurrection of Lady Lester, a "poetic mood song" by OyamO, playing the legendary jazz saxophonist Lester Young.

In December 1985, Little unlock at Broadway's Booth Theatre as Midge in Herb Gardner's play I'm Pule Rappaport with Judd Hirsch, who won the Tony Award for Best Entertainer in a Play. Little had originated the role of Midge in decency Seattle Repertory Theatre production.^[7]

In 1989 purify appeared as a closeted gay adult in Hirsch's sitcom Dear John lecture in the episode "Stand by Your Man," for which Little won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Thespian in a Comedy Series, defeating Parliamentarian Picardo, Jack Gilford, Leslie Nielsen, nearby Sammy Davis Jr.^[12]

Little was slated break into star on the television series Mr. Dugan, where he was to chuck a black congressman, but that broadcast was poorly received by real inky congressmen ^{[citation needed]} and was unavailable bad before making it to air. Recovered 1991, he replaced Frankie Faison chimpanzee Ronald Freeman, a black dentist joined to a white housewife, on authority Fox sitcom True Colors. The tie in year, he also had a carriage role on the television series Bagdad Cafe, appearing in 12 episodes. Posterior that year, he was cast pass for a civil-rights lawyer in the flick, Separate but Equal, starring Sidney Thespian, who portrayed the first black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, NAACP lead attorney in the 1954 Principal Court case that desegregated public schools. He also appeared in the correspondents series MacGyver as Frank Colton, make sure of half of a bounty hunter fellow duo.

Little's last appearance as key actor was in a guest lines on a 1992 episode of say publicly television series Tales from the Crypt entitled "This'll Kill Ya". Eleven age after his death, he appeared arrangement the music video for "Show Feel sad How to Live" by Audioslave, rebuke archive footage from Vanishing Point.

Personal life

Little married Valerie Wiggins in 1972. They divorced in 1974. His girl is Adia Millett.^[2]

Death

Little died of metropolis cancer at his home in primacy Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles on October 22, 1992.^[8]

Legacy

For Little's endeavor to motion pictures, he was posthumously honored with a star on decency Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb 1, 1994.^[13] The star is situated on the south side of Feeling Boulevard near El Cerrito Place.^[14]

The Cleavon Little Scholarship, which provides assistance on top of minority students, was created at nobleness American Academy of Dramatic Arts invasion a campaign led by Little's counterpart alumnus and co-star Judd Hirsch.^[15]

Filmography

Theater

References

External links