December 17, 1993 Moses Gunn, stage, film, and television actor, died. Gunn was born October 2, 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tennessee State University in 1959. He then studied at the University of Kansas from 1959 to 1961 in their graduate program for speech and drama. Gunn [...]
Tag Archives | television
July 9th in African American History – Eloise Gwendolyn Isabel Sanford
July 9, 2004 Eloise Gwendolyn Isabel Sanford, television and film actress, died. Sanford was born August 29, 1917 in New York City. She made her film debut in the 1967 movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Other films in which she appeared include “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972), “Love At First Bite” (1979), and “Sprung” [...]
May 23rd in African American History – Vernon D. Jarrett
May 23, 2004 Vernon D. Jarrett, newspaper, television, and radio journalist, died. Jarrett was born June 19, 1921 in Paris, Tennessee. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Knoxville College in 1941. In 1946, he moved to Chicago and began his career at the Chicago Defender. For three years beginning in 1948, he co-produced [...]
February 28th in African American History – Edmund Lincoln “Rochester” Anderson
February 28, 1977 Edmund Lincoln “Rochester” Anderson, radio, television and film actor, died. Anderson was born September 18, 1905 in Oakland, California. He began his show business career at the age of 14 in a song and dance act called Three Black Aces. Anderson was best known for playing Rochester van Jones, the valet for [...]
November 17th in African American History – Esther Rolle
November 17, 1998 Esther Rolle, stage, film and television actress, died. Rolle was born November 8, 1920 in Pompano Beach, Florida. Her earliest roles were on the stage, including “The Blacks” (1962), “Day of Absence” (1965), “Man Better Man” (1969), and her most prominent role in the 1973 play “Don’t Play Us Cheap.”
September 29th in African American History – Bryant Charles Gumbel
September 29, 1948 Bryant Charles Gumbel, television journalist and sportscaster, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Gumbel graduated from Bates College in 1970 and began his television career in 1972 as a sportscaster for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. Gumbel was hired by NBC Sports in 1975 as the co-host of its National Football League pre-game [...]
September 27th in African American History – Francis Gregory Alan Morris
September 27, 1933 Francis Gregory Alan Morris, television and movie actor, was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Morris began his acting career in the early 1960s with guest appearances on TV shows such as “The Twilight Zone” and “Ben Casey”. In September, 1966 he was cast in his most memorable role as the electronics expert in [...]