Bill Nunn
Bill Nunn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nunn in Introducing August Wilson (2013) | |
| Born | William Goldwyn Nunn III October 20, 1953 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 24, 2016 (aged 62) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Morehouse College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1980–2016 |
| Spouse | Donna Nunn |
| Children | 2 |
| Father | Bill Nunn |
William Goldwyn Nunn III (October 20, 1953 – September 24, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his collaborations with director Spike Lee, notably as Radio Raheem in Do the Right Thing (1989).[1] He also portrayed Daily Bugle editor Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–07), and co-starred in the sitcoms The Job (2001–02) and Sirens (2014–15).
Early life
[edit]Bill Nunn III was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Frances Nunn and William G. Nunn, Jr., a journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier and a National Football League scout.[2][3] His paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School.[4] While ball boys for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Nunn and current Steelers president Art Rooney II stole "Mean" Joe Greene's car during training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.[5] "Joe Greene showed up in a beautiful green Lincoln Continental, and me and Bill Nunn, Jr. were ball boys. Somehow Bill got the keys one night and we decided to take it for a ride. We only told Joe that story about 10 years ago. We figured that enough time had passed that we could disclose our little joy ride."[5]
Nunn was a 1970 graduate of Schenley High School and a 1976 graduate of Morehouse College.[6] He attended college with Spike Lee and appeared in several of Lee's early feature films.[2]
Career
[edit]Nunn made his credited film debut in the 1988 Spike Lee film School Daze,[7] and is best known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Lee's Do the Right Thing,[8] and as Nino Brown's bodyguard Duh Duh Duh Man in New Jack City.[9] Some of his other film credits include Lee's Mo' Better Blues and He Got Game, as well as Regarding Henry, Sister Act, Canadian Bacon, The Last Seduction, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Runaway Jury, Spider-Man trilogy (as Joseph "Robbie" Robertson), Firehouse Dog, the television series The Job, Randy and The Mob, and the 2016 televised adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun.[10]
Nunn also performed on stage, including August Wilson's Fences, a Pittsburgh-based play in which Nunn performed with Anthony Mackie, who played Nunn's character's son.[2] He was also very involved in community outreach, and he formed his own Pittsburgh-area outreach project in 2008.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Nunn was married to Donna Watts, and they had 2 children Sydney and Jessica .[2]
Death
[edit]Nunn died of leukemia on September 24, 2016, at his home[2][11] in Pittsburgh's Hill District; he was 62 years old.[12]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Sharky's Machine | Kitten's Bouncer | Uncredited | |
| 1988 | School Daze | Grady | ||
| 1989 | Do the Right Thing | Radio Raheem | ||
| A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court | School Teacher | |||
| Glory | 54th Massachusetts Soldier | Uncredited | ||
| 1990 | Def by Temptation | Dougy | ||
| Cadillac Man | Grave Digger | |||
| Mo' Better Blues | Bottom Hammer (Bass) | |||
| 1991 | New Jack City | "Duh Duh Man" | ||
| Regarding Henry | Bradley | |||
| White Lie | Chief Adams | |||
| 1992 | Sister Act | Lt. Eddie Souther | ||
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Police Photographer | ||
| Blood Brothers | William Crawford | |||
| 1994 | The Last Seduction | Harlan | ||
| Save Me | Detective Vincent | |||
| 1995 | Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh | Reverend Ellis | ||
| Canadian Bacon | Kabral | |||
| Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead | "Easy Wind" | |||
| True Crime | Detective Jerry Guinn | |||
| Money Train | Crash Train Motorman | |||
| 1996 | Bulletproof | DEA Agent Finch | ||
| Extreme Measures | Detective Bob Burke | |||
| 1997 | Quicksilver Highway | Len | ||
| Kiss the Girls | Detective John Sampson | |||
| Mad City | Cliff Williams | Uncredited | ||
| 1998 | He Got Game | Uncle Bubba | ||
| Ambushed | Watts Fatboy | |||
| 1999 | The Legend of 1900 | Danny Boodman | ||
| The Tic Code | Kingston | |||
| Foolish | Jimmy Beck | |||
| The Hungry Bachelors Club | Moses Grady | |||
| 2000 | Lockdown | Charles | ||
| 2002 | Spider-Man | Joe "Robbie" Robertson | ||
| People I Know | Reverend Lyle Blunt | |||
| 2003 | Runaway Jury | Lonnie Shaver | ||
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | Joe "Robbie" Robertson | ||
| 2006 | Out There | Desmond | ||
| Idlewild | G.W. | |||
| 2007 | Firehouse Dog | Joe Musto | ||
| Spider-Man 3 | Joe "Robbie" Robertson | |||
| Randy and the Mob | Wardlowe Gone | |||
| 2008 | Little Bear and the Master | The Warden | ||
| 2009 | Help Me, Help You | Detective | ||
| 2012 | Won't Back Down | Principal Holland |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Vietnam War Story | MP #1 | Episode: "The Pass" |
| 1993 | Bakersfield P.D. | Troy Davies | Episode: "The Ex-Partner" |
| 1994 | Traps | Cloud | 5 episodes |
| 1995 | Chicago Hope | Tony Maxwell | Episode: "A Coupla Stiffs" |
| Fallen Angels | Fearless Jones | Episode: "Fearless" | |
| The Affair | Sergeant Rivers | TV movie | |
| New York Undercover | Lieutenant Carver | Episode: "Internal Affairs" | |
| 1996 | Touched by an Angel | Frank Champness | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| Mr. and Mrs. Loving | Leonard | TV movie | |
| 1997 | Millennium | Lt. McCormick | Episode: "Maranatha" |
| Ellen Foster | Mr. Douglas | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Early Edition | Detective Barns | Episode: "A Minor Miracle" |
| Always Outnumbered | Howard M'Shalla | TV movie | |
| 1999 | Passing Glory | Howard Porter | |
| 2001–02 | The Job | Terrence "Pip" Phillips | Main cast |
| 2001 | The Substitute 4: Failure Is Not An Option | Luther | TV movie |
| 2003 | The District | Grant Singer | Episode: "Free Byrd" |
| 2007 | October Road | Leslie Etwood | Pilot |
| 2008 | A Raisin in the Sun | "Bobo" | TV movie |
| 2014–15 | Sirens | "Cash" | Recurring role; Season 1
Main cast; Season 2 |
Theatre
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | A Raisin in the Sun | Bobo | Royal Theatre, New York |
| 2009 | Fences | Gabriel | Huntington Theatre Company |
References
[edit]- ↑ Gilbey, Ryan (2016-09-26). "Bill Nunn obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Goldstein, Andrew; Lord, Rich; Eberson, Sharon (September 25, 2016). "Actor Bill Nunn dies". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ↑ Varley, Teresa (February 27, 2007). "Long-time scout Bill Nunn is a man who made a difference". steelers.com. Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ↑ Finder, Chuck (2006-07-24). "Q&A". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- 1 2 Prisuta, Mike (2015-07-26). "2015 Training Camp is underway". Archived from the original on 2016-02-24.
- ↑ "Morehouse Celebrates 143 Years". Morehouse College. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ↑ Penrice, Ronda Racha (13 February 2018). "Spike Lee to appear at 30th anniversary 'School Daze' screening at Fox". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Media Group. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- ↑ Laws, Zach; Beachum, Chris (10 August 2018). "Spike Lee movies: 15 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include 'Do the Right Thing,' 'Malcolm X,' 'BlacKkKlansman'". Gold Derby. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- ↑ "'Do the Right Thing,' 'New Jack City' actor Bill Nunn dies at 62". Al.com. Advance Local Media LLC. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- ↑ Mcshane, Larry. "Bill Nunn, Radio Raheem in 'Do the Right Thing,' dies at 63". Daily News. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ↑ Gajanan, Mahita (September 25, 2016). "Celebrities Mourn the Death of Do the Right Thing Actor Bill Nunn". Time. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ↑ {{cite news|last=Stack|first=Liam|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/25/movies/bill-nunn-who-played-radio-raheem-in-do-the-right-thing-dies-at-63.html|title= Bill Nunn, Who Played Radio Raheem in 'Do the Right Thing,' Dies at 63| work= The New York Times |date=September 24, 2016|access-date=September 25, 2016| type= Nunn was 63 years old.
External links
[edit]- Bill Nunn at IMDb
- Obituary Archived 2016-09-27 at the Wayback Machine at cremationfuneralcare.com
- Life of Bill Nunn from death-notices.co.uk (archived)
