Mel Stewart

Not to be confused with Mel Stuart or Melvin Stewart.

Mel Stewart
Stewart as Sergeant Bryant in Roll Out, 1973.
Born	Milton Stewart (1929-09-19)September 19, 1929 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	February 24, 2002(2002-02-24) (aged 72) Pacifica, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Alzheimer's disease
Other names	Melvin Stewart Melvin Stuart
Occupation(s)	Actor, television director, musician
Years active	1959–1993
Spouse	Annie Dong ​ (m. 1976⁠–⁠2002)​

Milton "Mel" Stewart (September 19, 1929 – February 24, 2002) was an American character actor, television director, and musician who appeared in numerous films and television shows from the 1960s to the 1990s. He is best known for playing Henry Jefferson on the popular television series All in the Family and for playing section chief Billy Melrose on the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Stewart is sometimes credited as Melvin Stewart or Mel Stuart.

Career

Mel Stewart began his acting career in 1959 with small roles in TV and films. In the early 1960s, Stewart also appeared in the Broadway shows Purlie Victorious, The Hostage, The Cool World, and Simply Heavenly.

Stewart's early career also included notable work as a voice actor. He provided the narration for "Scenes in the City", a long jazz composition with a text by Lonne Elder and Langston Hughes that appeared on Charles Mingus' 1957 album A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry. In 1961, Stewart recorded an album of Langston Hughes' poetry on Folkways Records: Langston Hughes' The Best of Simple. He was also a member of the San Francisco-based improv group, The Committee and appeared in 1969 on The Dick Cavett Show.

Stewart went on to land roles in various television series including That Girl, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Bob Newhart Show, Good Times, and Harry O. One of his most memorable roles was as Henry Jefferson, George Jefferson's brother, in the series All in the Family. In 1973, he co-starred in the short-lived series Roll Out. The following year, Stewart directed two episodes of another short-lived series Get Christie Love!, then co-starred in On the Rocks. After On the Rocks was canceled in 1976, Stewart portrayed the role of Marvin Decker in the Bewitched spin-off series Tabitha from 1977 to 1978.

In the 1980s, Stewart starred on Scarecrow and Mrs. King as section chief Billy Melrose during the show's four-year run from 1983 through 1987, and continued guest starring in both television and films. His last on screen appearance came in the 1993 film Made in America, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson.

Side projects

In addition to acting and directing, Stewart was an accomplished jazz saxophonist. A longtime resident of San Francisco, he also taught acting at San Francisco State University. His students included actor Danny Glover.

He established the theater group Black Actors Now Through Unity (BANTU) and directed plays at the Center for African and African-American Art and Culture in San Francisco and the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley, California.

A third degree black belt in aikido, Stewart opened a dojo for inner-city youth in the Bayview district of San Francisco.

Personal life and death

On July 11, 1976, Stewart married Annie Dong. The couple had one child together, a daughter. On February 24, 2002, Mel Stewart died of Alzheimer's disease.

Selected filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	Odds Against Tomorrow	Hotel Juno Elevator Operator	Uncredited
1959	Shadows	Man at Party	Uncredited
1963	Greenwich Village Story	Alex
1963	The Cool World	Con-man
1964	Nothing But a Man	Riddick
1967	Funnyman	Phil
1967	Petulia	Supermarket Clerk	Uncredited
1970	The Landlord	Professor Duboise	Credited as Melvin Stewart
1971	Cry Uncle!	Lt. Fowler	Alternative titles: American Oddballs Super Dick Credited as Melvin Stewart
1972	Hammer	Professor	Alternative title: BJ Hammer
1972	Trick Baby	Blue Howard
1973	Steelyard Blues	Black Man in Jail	Alternative title: The Final Crash
1973	Scorpio	Pick
1973	Kid Blue	Blackman
1973	Blood, Black and White
1974	Newman's Law	Quist
1975	Let's Do It Again	Ellison
1981	Whose Life Is It Anyway?	Dr. Barr
1988	Dead Heat	Captain Mayberry
1989	Martians Go Home	Judge
1989	Bride of Re-Animator	Dr. Graves	Alternative title: Re-Animator 2
1993	Made in America	Principal Rockwell	(final film role)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1962	Car 54 Where Are You?	Officer	Episode: "That's Show Business" Uncredited
1963	Naked City	Pharmacist	Episode: "Barefoot on a Bed of Coals" Uncredited
1964	The Nurses	Grand Jury Foreman	Episode: "The Love of a Smart Operator"
1969	The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour	Mr. Harris	Episode #1.1
1971–1973	All in the Family	Henry Jefferson	8 episodes
1972	The Bold Ones: The Senator	Dawson	Episode: "A Single Blow of a Sword"
1974	Toma	George Sawtelle	Episode: "A Funeral for Max Berlin"
1974	Lucas Tanner	Mr. Browder	Episode: "Look the Other Way"
1975	On the Rocks	Mr. Gibson	Series regular
1975	The Rockford Files	Police Lieutenant	Episode: "Charlie Harris at Large"
1975	That's My Mama	Laforche	Episode: "Business Is Business"
1977	What's Happening!!	Spike Gibbs	Episode: "The Hospital Stay"
1977	Sanford and Son	Clarence	Episode: "Fred the Activist"
1979	Roots: The Next Generations	Dr. Crawford	Miniseries
1979	Benson	Loromo	Episode: "The President's Double"
1980	Soap	Walter Coleman	Episode: "3.14
1981	Little House: A New Beginning	Hertzell Lundy	Episode: "Make a Joyful Noise"
1981	The Greatest American Hero	Sherman	Episode: "Saturday Night on Sunset Boulevard"
1983–1987	Scarecrow and Mrs. King	Billy Melrose	series regular
1983	The Kid with the 200 I.Q.	Debs	television film
1984	Cheers	Man	Episode: "Coach Buries a Grudge"
1987	Amen	Brother Clark	Episode: "California Dreaming"
1988	Frank's Place	Ben Coleman	Episode: "Cultural Exchange"
1989	227	Jack McGee	Episode: "The Real Decoys"
1989	Matlock	Sgt Lou Marshall	Episodes: "The Mayor: Part 1" "The Mayor: Part 2"
1989	The Golden Girls	Judge	Episode: "Love Under the Big Top"
1990	In the Heat of the Night	Calvin Peterson	Episodes: "Brotherly Love: Part 1" "Brotherly Love: Part 2" "Lessons Learned"

External links

• Mel Stewart at the Internet Broadway Database
• Mel Stewart at IMDb
• Mel Stewart at Find a Grave