Cleavon Little
Cleavon Little | |
---|---|
Born | Cleavon Jake Little June 1, 1939 Chickasha, Oklahoma, U.S. |
Died | October 22, 1992 Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. | (aged 53)
Education | |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1960–1992 |
Spouse |
Valerie Wiggins
(m. 1972; div. 1974) |
Children | 1 |
Awards |
|
Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He began his career in the late 1960s on the stage. In 1970, he starred in the Broadway production of
In the 1980s, Little continued to appear in stage productions, films, and in guest spots on television series. In 1989, he won a
Early life
Little was the brother of singer DeEtta Little West, best known for her performance (with Nelson Pigford) of the vocals on the chart-topping Bill Conti song "Gonna Fly Now," the main theme to Rocky.[1] He had another sister, Rosemarie Little Martin, and two brothers, Everett and Roy.[2]
Little was raised in
Career
Little made his professional debut in February 1967, appearing
The following year, he made his first film appearance in a small uncredited role in
Little made his Broadway debut in 1969 as Lee Haines in John Sebastian and Murray Schisgal's musical Jimmy Shine with Dustin Hoffman in the title role. In 1970, he returned to Broadway to portray the title role in Ossie Davis's musical Purlie, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.[6]
A year later, Little was hired as an ensemble player on the syndicated TV variety weekly The
He then starred on the ABC
In 1974 he was cast as Sheriff Bart in Brooks's comedy western Blazing Saddles (1974), after the studio rejected Richard Pryor, who co-wrote the script. Studio executives were apparently concerned about Pryor's reliability, given his reputation for drug use and unpredictable behavior, and thought Little would be a safer choice. This role earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.[8]
In 1975, Little returned to Broadway to portray the role of Lewis in the original production of Murray Schisgal's All Over Town under the direction of Dustin Hoffman. The following year, he appeared as Willy Stepp in the original production of Ronald Ribman's The Poison Tree at the Ambassador Theatre.
Over the years he made guest appearances on
Later career
Little played a supporting role to Pryor in the racing movie (1989).
Little returned to the New York 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 opened at Broadway's Booth Theatre as Midge in Herb Gardner's play I'm Not Rappaport with Judd Hirsch, who won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Little had originated the role of Midge in the Seattle Repertory Theatre production.[5]
In 1989 he appeared as a closeted gay man in Hirsch's sitcom
Little was slated to star on the television series
Little's last appearance as an actor was in a guest role on a 1992 episode of the television series Tales from the Crypt entitled "This'll Kill Ya". Eleven years after his death, he appeared in the music video for "Show Me How to Live" by Audioslave, through archive footage from Vanishing Point.
Personal life
Little married Valerie Wiggins in 1972. They divorced in 1974. His daughter is Adia Millett.[2]
Death
Little died of colon cancer at his home in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles on October 22, 1992.[6]
Legacy
For Little's contribution to motion pictures, he was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 1, 1994.[11] The star is located on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard near El Cerrito Place.[12]
The Cleavon Little Scholarship, which provides assistance to minority students, was created at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts through a campaign led by Little's fellow alumnus and co-star Judd Hirsch.[13]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1968 | What's So Bad About Feeling Good? | Phil | Uncredited role |
1969 | John and Mary | The Film Director | |
1970 | Cotton Comes to Harlem | Lo Boy | |
1971 | Vanishing Point | Super Soul | |
1971 | The Waltons - The Homecoming: A Christmas Story | Hawthorne Dooley | |
1971 | All In The Family |
Coke (1st Burglar) | Episode: Edith Writes A Song |
1972 - 1974 | Temperatures Rising | Dr. Jerry Noland | TV series - 46 episodes |
1974 | The Day the Earth Moved | Harley Copeland | |
1974 | Blazing Saddles | Bart | |
1975 | The Waltons | James Trevis Clark a/k/a The Ebony Flash | Episode: The Fighter |
1977 | The Rockford Files | Billy Merrihew | Episode: 13 |
1977 | Greased Lightning | Peewee | |
1978 | FM | Prince | |
1979 | Scavenger Hunt | Jackson | |
1980 | The Love Boat | ||
1981 | The Salamander | Major Carl Malinowski, USMC | |
1981 | High Risk | Rockney | |
1981 | Fantasy Island | Charlie Raines | S04-E21 |
1982 | Jimmy the Kid | Herb | |
1982 | The Fall Guy | Max | |
1982 | Double Exposure | Police Chief | |
1984 | Surf II | Daddy O | |
1984 | Toy Soldiers | Buck | |
1984 | E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind | Edmundo | |
1985 | Once Bitten | Sebastian | |
1985 | The Gig | Marshall Wilson | |
1987 | ALF | George Foley | Episode: ALF’s Christmas Special |
1989 | Dear John | Tony Larkin | Episode: Stand by Your Man |
1989 | Fletch Lives | Calculus Entropy | |
1989 | MacGyver | Frank Colton | Episode: Black Corsage |
1990 | Goin' to Chicago | Edward Sr. | |
1990 | Murder by Numbers | David Shelby | |
1991 | Separate but Equal | Robert L. Carter | |
1991 | In the Nick of Time | Freddy | |
1991 | Perfect Harmony | Pastor Clarence Johnson |
Theater
- Purlie, Broadway play. (1970)
- All Over Town, Broadway play. (1974)
- I'm Not Rappaport, Broadway play. (1985)
References
- ^ "Singer DeEtta Little - "GONNA FLY NOW"". Total Rocky. 2015-09-05. Archived from the original on 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- ^ "1957 Kearny High School Yearbook Online, San Diego CA". Classmates.com. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Christmas readings by Cleavon Little, 1965 | SDSUnbound". digitallibrary.sdsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- ^ a b c "Inside Playbill Gallery". Playbill. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- ^ a b Collins, Glenn (October 23, 1992). "Cleavon Little, Award-Winning Actor, Dies at 53". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ a b Folkart, Burt a (1992-10-23). "Tony Winner Cleavon Little Dies at Age 53 : Entertainer: The actor was known to millions as the black sheriff in the movie comedy 'Blazing Saddles.'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
- ^ The 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1989). Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^ "Cleavon Little | Hollywood Walk of Fame". www.walkoffame.com. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
- ^ "Cleavon Little - Hollywood, CA - Citizen Memorials on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
- ^ "Scholarships - The American Academy of Dramatic Arts". www.aada.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
External links
- Cleavon Little at IMDb
- Cleavon Little at the Internet Broadway Database
- Cleavon Little at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Cleavon Little at the TCM Movie Database
- Cleavon Little at AllMovie