Howard Platt (born June 5, 1938) is an American stage and television actor, singer and director, best known for his role as "Officer Hopkins", or "Hoppy" in the hit NBC-TV comedy series Sanford and Son from 1973-1977. Platt, a veteran of nearly four decades, has appeared in at least 100 plays assuming the roles of everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Santa Claus to Frank McCourt and brother, Malachy.
Platt has made numerous comedic and dramatic appearances on television, most recently as Rev. Weber in What About Joan? Along with his role as Hoppy on Sanford And Son, Platt has also had guest roles as "Phil Newman" on The Bob Newhart Show, "Marvin" on Alice and "Judge Jonathan Stockfish" on Evening Shade with actors Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning and Marilu Henner. As a series regular he played Captain Doug March on the 1979 CBS-TV sitcom Flying High with actresses Connie Sellecca, Pat Klous and Kathryn Witt. His many movie roles include T.R. Baskin, Nixon, The Cat from Outer Space, and Norma Jean & Marilyn.
As a director, Platt has directed a dozen shows including A Couple Of Blaguards, Don't Dress For Dinner, Pump Boys And Dinettes, Love Letters and Steel Magnolias. Among 20 shows.
Platt was involved in producing in Chicago with Cullen, Henaghan and Platt, his association with Robert Whitehead during the first Broadway Alliance production, Steve Tesich's Speed of Darkness, was a theatrical high point.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Hal Williams (Officer Smitty)
Harold "Hal" Williams (born December 14, 1938) is an American actor, best known for his recurring role as the black cop Officer Smith ("Smitty") on Sanford and Son, and as the patriarch Lester Jenkins on 227.
Williams started out in show business in 1969. Since then, he has appeared in movies such as Hardcore, Private Benjamin, and The Rookie. He was controversially fired from The Jimmy Stewart Show in 1971 by its star, Jimmy Stewart.[1] In the early to mid-1990s, he starred in many of comic Sinbad's productions, including The Sinbad Show and The Cherokee Kid. Most recently, he played the grandfather in the Bernie Mac film Guess Who.
His other television credits include Moonlight, Moesha, Suddenly Susan, Minor Adjustments, L.A. Law, Night Court, Magnum, P.I., Hill Street Blues, Gimme a Break, The Jeffersons, The Dukes of Hazzard, T.J. Hooker, The Waltons, Knots Landing, The White Shadow, What's Happening!!, Good Times, Quincy, M.E., Kung Fu, S.W.A.T.,Gunsmoke and That Girl.
Williams is also the host of the annual Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation nationally-televised telethon.
Williams started out in show business in 1969. Since then, he has appeared in movies such as Hardcore, Private Benjamin, and The Rookie. He was controversially fired from The Jimmy Stewart Show in 1971 by its star, Jimmy Stewart.[1] In the early to mid-1990s, he starred in many of comic Sinbad's productions, including The Sinbad Show and The Cherokee Kid. Most recently, he played the grandfather in the Bernie Mac film Guess Who.
His other television credits include Moonlight, Moesha, Suddenly Susan, Minor Adjustments, L.A. Law, Night Court, Magnum, P.I., Hill Street Blues, Gimme a Break, The Jeffersons, The Dukes of Hazzard, T.J. Hooker, The Waltons, Knots Landing, The White Shadow, What's Happening!!, Good Times, Quincy, M.E., Kung Fu, S.W.A.T.,Gunsmoke and That Girl.
Williams is also the host of the annual Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation nationally-televised telethon.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Pat Morita (Ah Chew) Mini Bio Pt. 2
His first movie role was as a stereotypical henchman in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). He also was cast as Rear admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka, in the film Midway in 1976. Later, a recurring role as South Korean Army Captain Sam Pak on the sitcom M*A*S*H helped advance the comedian's acting career.
He had a recurring role on the show Happy Days as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi, owner of the diner Arnold's. After the first season (1975–1976), he left Happy Days to star as inventor Taro Takahashi in his own show, Mr. T and Tina, the first Asian American sitcom on network TV. The sitcom was placed on Saturday nights by ABC and was quickly canceled after a month in the fall of 1976. In 1977, Morita starred in the short-lived Blansky's Beauties as Arnold. Morita eventually returned to Happy Days, reprising his role in the 1982–1983 season. He appeared in an episode of The Odd Couple and had a recurring role on Sanford and Son in the mid-1970s.
Morita gained worldwide fame playing wise karate teacher Kesuke Miyagi who taught young "Daniel-san" (Ralph Macchio) in The Karate Kid, a film that included the famous quote "Wax on, wax off" and also taught young "Julie-san" (Hilary Swank) in The Next Karate Kid, although in real life he did not know karate and spoke much better English. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as a Golden Globe and reprised his role as the sensei Mr. Miyagi in three sequels. Although he had been using the name "Pat Morita" for years, producer Jerry Weintraub suggested that Pat be billed with his given name to sound more ethnic.
Morita went on to play Tommy Tanaka in the TV movie Amos (for which he received Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award nominations), starring Kirk Douglas. He then starred as the title character in the ABC detective show Ohara which aired in 1987 and ended a year later due to poor ratings. He then wrote and starred in the World War II romance film Captive Hearts (1987). Late in his career, Morita starred on the Nickelodeon television series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo and had a recurring role on the sitcom The Hughleys. He also made a guest appearance on an episode of Married With Children. He went on to star in Talk To Taka as a sushi chef who doles out advice to anyone that will hear him. In 1998, Morita voiced the Emperor of China in Disney's 36th animated feature Mulan and reprised the role in Kingdom Hearts II and Mulan II, a direct-to-video sequel.
Morita had a cameo appearance in the 2001 Alien Ant Farm music video "Movies". Morita's appearance in the video spoofed his role in The Karate Kid. He would also reprise his role (to an extent) in the stop-motion animated series Robot Chicken. In the episode, he is assumed to be Mr. Miyagi, but he immediately denies that by saying, "First of all, I'm Pat F'in Morita, ya nutsack!"
One of Morita's last TV roles was as Master Udon on the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, "Karate Island". The episode was dedicated to him after he died about six months after its first run. One of his last film roles was in the 2005 independent feature film, Only the Brave, about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, where he plays the father of lead actor (and director) Lane Nishikawa. His last movie was Royal Kill which also stars Eric Roberts, Gail Kim, and Lalaine and is directed by Babar Ahmed.
He had a recurring role on the show Happy Days as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi, owner of the diner Arnold's. After the first season (1975–1976), he left Happy Days to star as inventor Taro Takahashi in his own show, Mr. T and Tina, the first Asian American sitcom on network TV. The sitcom was placed on Saturday nights by ABC and was quickly canceled after a month in the fall of 1976. In 1977, Morita starred in the short-lived Blansky's Beauties as Arnold. Morita eventually returned to Happy Days, reprising his role in the 1982–1983 season. He appeared in an episode of The Odd Couple and had a recurring role on Sanford and Son in the mid-1970s.
Morita gained worldwide fame playing wise karate teacher Kesuke Miyagi who taught young "Daniel-san" (Ralph Macchio) in The Karate Kid, a film that included the famous quote "Wax on, wax off" and also taught young "Julie-san" (Hilary Swank) in The Next Karate Kid, although in real life he did not know karate and spoke much better English. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as well as a Golden Globe and reprised his role as the sensei Mr. Miyagi in three sequels. Although he had been using the name "Pat Morita" for years, producer Jerry Weintraub suggested that Pat be billed with his given name to sound more ethnic.
Morita went on to play Tommy Tanaka in the TV movie Amos (for which he received Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award nominations), starring Kirk Douglas. He then starred as the title character in the ABC detective show Ohara which aired in 1987 and ended a year later due to poor ratings. He then wrote and starred in the World War II romance film Captive Hearts (1987). Late in his career, Morita starred on the Nickelodeon television series The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo and had a recurring role on the sitcom The Hughleys. He also made a guest appearance on an episode of Married With Children. He went on to star in Talk To Taka as a sushi chef who doles out advice to anyone that will hear him. In 1998, Morita voiced the Emperor of China in Disney's 36th animated feature Mulan and reprised the role in Kingdom Hearts II and Mulan II, a direct-to-video sequel.
Morita had a cameo appearance in the 2001 Alien Ant Farm music video "Movies". Morita's appearance in the video spoofed his role in The Karate Kid. He would also reprise his role (to an extent) in the stop-motion animated series Robot Chicken. In the episode, he is assumed to be Mr. Miyagi, but he immediately denies that by saying, "First of all, I'm Pat F'in Morita, ya nutsack!"
One of Morita's last TV roles was as Master Udon on the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, "Karate Island". The episode was dedicated to him after he died about six months after its first run. One of his last film roles was in the 2005 independent feature film, Only the Brave, about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, where he plays the father of lead actor (and director) Lane Nishikawa. His last movie was Royal Kill which also stars Eric Roberts, Gail Kim, and Lalaine and is directed by Babar Ahmed.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Pat Morita (Ah Chew) Mini Bio Pt. 1
"Noriyuki" Pat Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor who was well-known for playing the role of Arnold on Happy Days, Ah Chew on Sanford and Son, and best known as Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.
Pat Morita was born in Isleton, California. He developed spinal tuberculosis at the age of two and spent the bulk of the next nine years in Northern California hospitals, including the Shriners Hospital in San Francisco. He was for long periods wrapped in a full body cast and was told he would never walk.
After a surgeon fused four vertebrae in his spine, Pat finally learned to walk again at the age of 11. By then, his Japanese American family had been sent to an internment camp to be detained for the duration of World War II.
He was transported from the hospital directly to the Gila River camp in Arizona to join them. It was at this time that he met a Catholic priest from whom he would later take his stage name "Pat". For a time after the war, the family operated Ariake Chop Suey, a restaurant in Sacramento, California. Teenage "Nori" would entertain customers with jokes and serve as master of ceremonies for group dinners.
Pat Morita was born in Isleton, California. He developed spinal tuberculosis at the age of two and spent the bulk of the next nine years in Northern California hospitals, including the Shriners Hospital in San Francisco. He was for long periods wrapped in a full body cast and was told he would never walk.
After a surgeon fused four vertebrae in his spine, Pat finally learned to walk again at the age of 11. By then, his Japanese American family had been sent to an internment camp to be detained for the duration of World War II.
He was transported from the hospital directly to the Gila River camp in Arizona to join them. It was at this time that he met a Catholic priest from whom he would later take his stage name "Pat". For a time after the war, the family operated Ariake Chop Suey, a restaurant in Sacramento, California. Teenage "Nori" would entertain customers with jokes and serve as master of ceremonies for group dinners.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Gregory Sierra (Julio Fuentes)
Gregory Sierra (born January 25, 1941) is an American actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amenguale on Barney Miller and as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor on Sanford and Son, where his character was often the brunt of racist insults and jokes via the show's main character, Fred G. Sanford (portrayed by Redd Foxx).
He also guest-starred as a Jewish radical in an unusually dramatic episode of All in the Family, working with the Hebrew Defense Association, an organization whose goal it was to stop anti-Semitism in the neighborhood. In the plot, he volunteers in helping to chase away neo-Nazi thugs presiding in the neighborhood during which they spray-painted a swastika on the Bunkers' door. He is later killed by a car bomb planted by the neo-Nazis. The actor later went on to star as Dr. Tony Menzies on the unsuccessful sitcom A.E.S. Hudson Street.
Sierra was cast as South American anti-Communist revolutionary "El Puerco" — whose friends simply call him "El" — on the serial spoof Soap, figuring prominently in the series' unresolved final episode in 1981. In 1984, he briefly became a main cast member of the then-new TV drama Miami Vice where he played Lieutenant Lou Rodriguez; he asked to be written out of the series after just four episodes. More recently he had regular roles on the TV shows Zorro and Son, Something is Out There, and Common Law.
In 1992, Sierra played drug dealer Felix Barbossa in the Bill Duke-directed Deep Cover, which also starred Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum. He also played a man named Villanazul in the low-budget 1998 movie The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. He also appeared as Corbin Entek in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Second Skin" and played a fugitive on the run with Steve McQueen in Papillon.
He also guest-starred as a Jewish radical in an unusually dramatic episode of All in the Family, working with the Hebrew Defense Association, an organization whose goal it was to stop anti-Semitism in the neighborhood. In the plot, he volunteers in helping to chase away neo-Nazi thugs presiding in the neighborhood during which they spray-painted a swastika on the Bunkers' door. He is later killed by a car bomb planted by the neo-Nazis. The actor later went on to star as Dr. Tony Menzies on the unsuccessful sitcom A.E.S. Hudson Street.
Sierra was cast as South American anti-Communist revolutionary "El Puerco" — whose friends simply call him "El" — on the serial spoof Soap, figuring prominently in the series' unresolved final episode in 1981. In 1984, he briefly became a main cast member of the then-new TV drama Miami Vice where he played Lieutenant Lou Rodriguez; he asked to be written out of the series after just four episodes. More recently he had regular roles on the TV shows Zorro and Son, Something is Out There, and Common Law.
In 1992, Sierra played drug dealer Felix Barbossa in the Bill Duke-directed Deep Cover, which also starred Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum. He also played a man named Villanazul in the low-budget 1998 movie The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. He also appeared as Corbin Entek in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Second Skin" and played a fugitive on the run with Steve McQueen in Papillon.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Lynn Hamilton (Donna Harris)
Lynn Hamilton (born April 25, 1930 in Yazoo City, Mississippi) is an American actress, who made her film debut in John Cassavetes' Shadows (1959).
She may be best known for her role as "Donna Harris", a role she played infrequently on the sitcom Sanford and Son, from 1972 to 1977 as the elder Sanford's girlfriend, Donna.
She also had a recurring role as "Verdie" on The Waltons, and made appearances on such television sitcoms, soap operas and miniseries as 227, Dangerous Women, Generations, Port Charles and Roots: the Next Generations.
She may be best known for her role as "Donna Harris", a role she played infrequently on the sitcom Sanford and Son, from 1972 to 1977 as the elder Sanford's girlfriend, Donna.
She also had a recurring role as "Verdie" on The Waltons, and made appearances on such television sitcoms, soap operas and miniseries as 227, Dangerous Women, Generations, Port Charles and Roots: the Next Generations.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Nathaniel Taylor (Rallo Lawson)
Nathaniel Taylor (born March 31, 1938 in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.) is an American television actor, best known for portraying "Rollo Lawson" in the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son, and as Rerun's (Fred Berry) brother-in-law "Ike" in the sitcom What's Happening!!. Taylor's character "Rollo" once referred to Redd Foxx's character "Fred G. Sanford" as, "One cold-blooded old dude."
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