Robert Judd (actor): Difference between revisions
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It was a brief but memorable performance. The goateed Judd (clad in a black suit, broad-brimmed black hat, crisp white shirt, and black bowtie) conveyed menace effectively with a broad smile. |
It was a brief but memorable performance. The goateed Judd (clad in a black suit, broad-brimmed black hat, crisp white shirt, and black bowtie) conveyed menace effectively with a broad smile. |
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One review noted that the film got strong support from Judd, [[Joe Morton]] (as Scratch's assistant), and [[Akosua Busia]].<ref>" 'Crossroads' takes comfort in blues," ''Detroit Free Press'', March 14, 1986, 23.</ref> |
One review noted that the film got strong support from Judd, [[Joe Morton]] (as Scratch's assistant), and [[Akosua Busia]].<ref>" 'Crossroads' takes comfort in blues," ''Detroit Free Press'', March 14, 1986, 23.</ref> |
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A retrospective for the ''Reel Rundown" website put Judd in the "Top Ten Actors Who Have Played Satan." The article noted how believable he was, saying, "Despite the fact that he can take your soul to hell for all eternity, he seems like the affable old guy next door.<ref>[https://reelrundown.com/celebrities/Top-Ten-Actors-Who-Have-Played-Satan Price, GH "Top Ten Actors Who Have Played Satan," ''Reel Rundown'', March 11, 2017]</ref> |
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By the time that ''Crossroads'' was released in March 1986, however, Judd had passed away. He was just 59. His obituary noted that he had worked as a counselor for several years for his favorite charity, Teens with Drug Problems, as well as a non-profit social services organization in [[Queens]] called Elmcor. Judd was also a talented photographer.<ref>"Actor Robert Judd, 59, dies."</ref> |
By the time that ''Crossroads'' was released in March 1986, however, Judd had passed away. He was just 59. His obituary noted that he had worked as a counselor for several years for his favorite charity, Teens with Drug Problems, as well as a non-profit social services organization in [[Queens]] called Elmcor. Judd was also a talented photographer.<ref>"Actor Robert Judd, 59, dies."</ref> |
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Revision as of 17:13, 18 August 2018
Robert Judd (born circa 1926, died January 20, 1986) was an African-American actor who appeared on stage, television, and in occasional films. He is best remembered for his performances as Scratch in Crossroads and as "Toledo" the piano player in the original production of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Career
According to his obituary, Judd's film credits include Across 110th Street (1972).[1]
He co-starred with William Sanderson in the 1977 grindhouse action film Fight for Your Life.
Judd's stage career included work with the Actor's Theatre of Louisville, the Cincinnati Playhouse, and the Crossroads Theatre of New Jersey, as well as Off-Broadway productions.[2] He appeared in the revival of Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine, first at the Long Wharf Theatre in 1979[3] and then on Broadway in 1980.
Judd's TV work included Saturday Night Live, soap operas such as As the World Turns and The Guiding Light, and the 1980 PBS series Gettin' to Know Me, which revolved around an African-American family.[4]
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, starring Charles S. Dutton, opened at the Yale Repertory Theater in April 1984. It then moved to Broadway, where it ran from October 11, 1984 through June 9, 1985. Frank Rich, then theater critic for The New York Times, wrote, "As acted by Mr. Judd, Joe Seneca and Leonard Jackson, the monologues have the beauty and poignance of the old-time solos that the musicians improvise on their instruments."[5]
Seneca and Judd were reunited in the cast of Walter Hill's film Crossroads. Judd portrayed "Scratch" (i.e., Satan). It was a brief but memorable performance. The goateed Judd (clad in a black suit, broad-brimmed black hat, crisp white shirt, and black bowtie) conveyed menace effectively with a broad smile. One review noted that the film got strong support from Judd, Joe Morton (as Scratch's assistant), and Akosua Busia.[6]
A retrospective for the Reel Rundown" website put Judd in the "Top Ten Actors Who Have Played Satan." The article noted how believable he was, saying, "Despite the fact that he can take your soul to hell for all eternity, he seems like the affable old guy next door.[7]
By the time that Crossroads was released in March 1986, however, Judd had passed away. He was just 59. His obituary noted that he had worked as a counselor for several years for his favorite charity, Teens with Drug Problems, as well as a non-profit social services organization in Queens called Elmcor. Judd was also a talented photographer.[8]
When Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was revived on Broadway in 2003, the production was dedicated to the memory of Robert Judd.
References
- ^ "Actor Robert Judd, 59, dies," New York Amsterdam News, February 1, 1986, p. 24.
- ^ "Actor Robert Judd, 59, dies."
- ^ Gussow, Mel "Drama: 'Watch on the Rhine' Revived," New York Times, October 16, 1979, p. 20
- ^ "Actor Robert Judd, 59, dies."
- ^ Rich, Frank "Theater: 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,'" New York Times, April 11, 1984, p. 19.
- ^ " 'Crossroads' takes comfort in blues," Detroit Free Press, March 14, 1986, 23.
- ^ Price, GH "Top Ten Actors Who Have Played Satan," Reel Rundown, March 11, 2017
- ^ "Actor Robert Judd, 59, dies."