Howard Rollins
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| Howard Rollins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. October 17, 1950 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 1996 (aged 46) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other name(s) | Howard Rollins, Jr. Howard E. Rollins Howard E. Rollings, Jr. |
Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996) was an American television, film, and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the film Ragtime, and for his portrayal of Virgil Tibbs in the NBC/CBS television series In the Heat of the Night.
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[edit] Early life and career
The youngest of four children, Rollins was born in Baltimore, Maryland where he studied theater at Towson State College nearby. In 1970, he left college early to play the role of "Slick" in the PBS soap opera Our Street. In 1974, he moved to New York where he went on to appear on Broadway and in television films including Roots: The Next Generations.[1]
In 1982, Rollins was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the Dino De Laurentiis/Miloš Forman motion picture, Ragtime (1981). The following year, he was nominated for an Daytime Emmy for his role on Another World.
In 1984, Rollins starred in director Norman Jewison's film, A Soldier's Story which led to his role as Virgil Tibbs on the In the Heat of the Night television series based on Jewison's acclaimed film In the Heat of the Night.
In 1988, Rollins was arrested and plead guilty to cocaine possession in Louisiana. In 1993, he served a month in jail for reckless driving and driving under the influence. Because of continued legal problems, Rollins was ultimately dropped from In the Heat of the Night and was replaced by Carl Weathers.[2] After attending drug rehab, he returned to In the Heat of the Night as a guest star.[3]
In the last years of his life, Rollins appeared on the TV shows New York Undercover and Remember WENN (his final acting role), in the PBS film Harambee!, and in the theatrical film Drunks.
[edit] Death
Rollins died on December 8, 1996 from complications from lymphoma. He had been diagnosed with the disease approximately six weeks earlier.[4]
On October 25, 2006, a wax statue of Rollins was unveiled at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore. The statue is now at Baltimore's Great Blacks in Wax Museum.[5]
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1981 | Ragtime | Coalhouse Walker Jr. | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Nominated - Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor |
| 1984 | The House of God | Chuck Johnston | |
| A Soldier's Story | Captain Davenport | ||
| 1990 | On the Block | Clay Beasley | |
| 1995 | Drunks | Joseph | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1978 | The Trial of the Moke | Television movie | |
| King | Andrew Young | Miniseries Credited as Howard Rollins |
|
| 1979 | Roots: The Next Generations | George Haley | Miniseries |
| My Old Man | Doctor | Television movie | |
| 1981 | Thornwell | Carson | Television movie |
| All My Children | F. B. I. Agent | 1 episode | |
| 1982 | Fridays | Guest host | 1 episode |
| The Neighborhood | Allen Campbell | Television movie | |
| The Member of the Wedding | Honey Brown | Television movie | |
| Another World | Ed Harding | Unknown episodes Nominated - Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series |
|
| 1983 | For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story | Medgar Evers | Television movie |
| Moving Right Along | Unknown episodes | ||
| 1984 | House of Dies Drear | Walter Small | Television movie |
| A Doctor's Story | Dr. Zack Williams | Television movie | |
| He's Fired, She's Hired | Raoul | Television movie | |
| 1985 | Wildside | Bannister Sparks | 6 episodes |
| 1986 | The Boy King | Martin Luther King, Sr. | Television movie |
| The Children of Times Square | Otis Travis | Television movie | |
| Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI | T.C. Russell | Television movie | |
| 1988-1994 | In the Heat of the Night | Chief of Detectives Virgil Tibbs | 99 episodes |
| 1992 | With Murder in Mind | Samuel Carver | Television movie |
| 1994 | In the Heat of the Night: Who Was Geli Bendl? | Virgil Tibbs | Television movie |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Reverend Hundley | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Remember WENN | George Smith | 1 episode |
| Harambee! | Chimbuko | Television movie | |
[edit] References
- ^ Eady, Brenda (1984-10-01). "Howard Rollins' Stalled Career Marches on with a Soldier's Story". People. http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20088797,00.html. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ Blumenthal, Ralph (1996-12-10). "Howard Rollins Is Dead at 46; Star in TV's 'Heat of the Night'". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE7D9103FF933A25751C1A960958260. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ "Actor Howard Rollins, 46, succumbs in New York". Jet. 1996-12-23. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n6_v91/ai_19006833. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ Dominguez, Robert (1996-12-10). "Howard Rollins, 46, Dies". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1996/12/10/1996-12-10_howard_rollins__46__dies.html. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ "Howard Rollins Unveiling at Senator Theater". National Great Blacks In Wax Museum. http://www.ngbiwm.com/Exhibits/Howard_Rollins.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-08.
[edit] External links
- The Howard E. Rollins Foundation
- Howard Rollins at the Internet Movie Database
- Howard Rollins at the Internet Broadway Database
- Howard Rollins at TV.com
- Howard Rollins at Find a Grave
