Born in the Harlem section of New York City, joined the Navy, then studied drama at New York University; was an announcer for then joined the Negro Ensemble Co. in 1970 for such productions as "The River Niger", "Square Root of the Soul" and "The Brownsville Raid"; worked with repertory groups such as the Minnesota Theater Co., Inner City Repertory Co., and the American Shakespeare Co.; first appe ...
show all Born in the Harlem section of New York City, joined the Navy, then studied drama at New York University; was an announcer for then joined the Negro Ensemble Co. in 1970 for such productions as "The River Niger", "Square Root of the Soul" and "The Brownsville Raid"; worked with repertory groups such as the Minnesota Theater Co., Inner City Repertory Co., and the American Shakespeare Co.; first appeared on the screen in CHE (1969), then returned to stage until the late 1970s when he did low-budget films ("The Hitter (1979)", "The Fist of Fear, Touch of Death (1980)") before achieving his greatest success in "Soldier's Story, A (1984)" (from the stage play for which he collected two awards), which earned him an Oscar nomination; appeared in "Color Purple (1985)" and was working on "Tough Guys" with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas when he collapsed on the set of a heart attack and died a short time later. He was only 52.
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