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Ernest Lee Thomas
Ernest Lee Thomas (born March 26, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Roger "Raj" Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom ''What's Happening!!'', and its 1980s syndicated sequel, ''What's Happening Now!!'', and for his recurring role as Mr. Omar on ''Everybody Hates Chris''. Early career and ''What's Happening!!'' Thomas was born in Gary, Indiana, and began his professional acting career as a Broadway actor, appearing in the 1974 revival production of ''Love for Love'' and in the 1975 revival of ''The Member of the Wedding''. Both shows starred actress Glenn Close. Shortly after he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a TV/film actor. In the fall of 1975 he received a role on an episode of ''The Jeffersons''. It was during the taping of the show that he learned of an audition for a sitcom loosely based on the 1975 film ''Cooley High''. Thomas auditioned, won the lead role, and filmed the television pilot, which tested poorly. The concept was quickly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the southern shore of Lake Michigan about east of downtown Chicago, Illinois. The city is adjacent to the Indiana Dunes National Park, and is within the Chicago metropolitan area. Gary was named after lawyer Elbert Henry Gary, who was the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel had established the city as a company town to serve its steel mills. Although initially a very diverse city, after white flight in the 1970s, the city of Gary held the nation's highest percentage of African Americans for several decades. As of the 2020 census the city's population was 70,093, making it Indiana's ninth-largest city. Like other Rust Belt cities, Gary's once thriving steel industry has been significantly affected by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Piece Of The Action (film)
''A Piece of the Action'' is a 1977 American crime comedy film directed by and starring Sidney Poitier and co-starring Bill Cosby. It was the third film pairing of Poitier and Cosby, following ''Uptown Saturday Night'' (1974) and '' Let's Do It Again'' (1975). The films are considered a trilogy, even though the actors play characters with different names in each film. It was also Poitier's last acting role for more than a decade, as he focused his attentions on directing. Plot Dave Anderson (Bill Cosby) and Manny Durrell (Sidney Poitier) are two high-class sneak thieves who have never been caught. Joshua Burke (James Earl Jones) is a retired detective who has enough evidence on the both of them to put them behind bars. Instead, he offers to maintain his silence if the crooks will go straight and do work at a youth center for delinquents. At first, the crooks are reluctant and unwilling (and so are the kids). As time goes by they gain the trust and admiration of the kids and they s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Steve Harvey Show
''The Steve Harvey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on The WB from August 25, 1996, to February 17, 2002. It was created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan. Synopsis Steve Hightower (Steve Harvey) is a 1970s funk legend who is now a music teacher/vice principal at Booker T. Washington High School on Chicago's West Side. Budget cutbacks meant Steve also had to teach drama and art, much to his surprise. Cedric Robinson (Cedric the Entertainer) is a coach at the high school, and Steve's longtime best friend. The principal of Booker T. Washington High is Steve's former classmate, Regina Grier (Wendy Raquel Robinson), whom Steve affectionately calls "Piggy", because she was overweight in childhood. Steve forms a strong bond with two of his students: Romeo Santana ( Merlin Santana), a stylish, self-absorbed ladies' man, and the equally vacuous Stanley Kuznocki, nicknamed Bullethead (William Lee Scott) - acting as their mentor, and gradually, accepts them ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soul Food (TV Series)
''Soul Food: The Series'' is an American drama series that aired Wednesday nights on Showtime from June 28, 2000, to May 26, 2004. Developed for television by Felicia D. Henderson, the series was an adaptation of George Tillman's 1997 drama film, ''Soul Food,'' which was based on his childhood experiences growing up in Wisconsin. Having aired for five seasons and 74 episodes, it was the first hit drama that featured an African-American cast in U.S. primetime television.Wiggins, Ovetta."Last Call for 'Soul Food ''The Washington Post'', May 26, 2004. Retrieved August 18, 2009. Premise ''Soul Food'' follows the triumphs, struggles, and rivalries of the Josephs, a tight-knit African-American family living in Chicago, Illinois. The series picks up six months after the events in the 1997 film, starting with the birth of Bird and Lem's son Jeremiah, as the family tries to hold together after the death of the Joseph sisters' mother Josephine (Irma P. Hall, reprising her role in flas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American comedian and actor. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. He got his start playing Maurice Warfield in ''What's Happening Now!!'' (1987–1988). He was a leading actor in the Fox television sitcom ''Martin,'' the ''Bad Boys'' franchise, and ''House Party'', ''Boomerang'', '' Open Season'', ''Wild Hogs'', '' Nothing to Lose'', ''Blue Streak'', ''Life'', '' Black Knight'', ''Big Momma's House'', and ''A Thin Line Between Love and Hate''. Early life The fourth of six children, Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence was born on April 16, 1965, in Frankfurt, West Germany. His father, John Lawrence, was serving in the U.S. military at the time of his birth. Lawrence's first and middle names were named after civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. President John F. Kennedy, respectively. When Lawrence was seven, his fath ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin (TV Series)
''Martin'' is an American television sitcom that aired for five seasons on Fox from August 27, 1992, to May 1, 1997. The show starred comedian and namesake Martin Lawrence as the titular character. Lawrence also played several other characters. ''Martin'' was one of Fox's highest-rated shows during the sitcom's run. Broadcast history Episodes Premise Set in Detroit, Michigan, the series stars Martin Lawrence in the role of Martin Payne, a disc jockey with his girlfriend Gina Waters (Tisha Campbell). Martin works for the fictional radio station WZUP and later for local Public-access television station Channel 51. A common theme of the series is Martin's selfish and free-spirited nature. Episodes often center on Martin's inappropriate behaviors and incessant smart-mouth toward his friends, neighbors, and whoever else finds themselves in his presence. As the series progressed, plotlines saw Martin eventually move on to become the host of the talk show ''Word on the Street'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Parent 'Hood
''The Parent 'Hood'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 18, 1995, to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to be titled ''Father Knows Nothing'' (a parody of the title of the 1950s sitcom ''Father Knows Best''), the series was one of the four sitcoms that aired as part of the original Wednesday-night two-hour lineup that helped launch The WB network (along with ''The Wayans Bros.'', ''Unhappily Ever After'', and the short-lived ''Muscle''). On November 1, 2021, ''The Parent 'Hood'' had several episodes available to stream on HBO Max. Premise The series revolves around a former Black English professor, Robert Peterson, who must cope with fatherhood after his wife, Jerri decides to return to the working field to their four children which they share in their upper middle class apartment brownstone in Manhattan. Robert quickly learns that he needs to rule his house with an iron fist as he reali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson (born July 18, 1960) is an American actress and impressionist. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Nadine Hudson–Thomas in ''What's Happening Now!!'' (1985–1988), and Althea Tibbs in '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1988–1993). Johnson is known as a cast member of the FOX sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'' (1993–1994) during its final season, and has had recurring or regular roles in ''Melrose Place'', '' JAG'', '' Girlfriends'' and ''The InBetween''. Biography Early life and education Anne-Marie Johnson was born in Los Angeles, California. For high school, she attended John Marshall High School, graduating in 1978. Johnson graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in Acting and Theater. Career Johnson's first US television appearance was as a contestant on the game show ''Card Sharks'' that originally aired on June 5, 1979, where her name was listed as Anne Johnson. She appeared on the game show '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
In The Heat Of The Night (TV Series)
''In the Heat of the Night'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series loosely based on the 1967 film and 1965 novel of the same title. It starred Emmy winner Carroll O'Connor as police chief Bill Gillespie and Emmy and Oscar-nominated actor Howard Rollins as police detective Virgil Tibbs, and was broadcast on NBC from March 6, 1988, until May 19, 1992, then on CBS from October 28, 1992, until May 16, 1995. Its executive producers were Fred Silverman, Juanita Bartlett, and O'Connor. Premise The show itself is a sequel to the 1967 film, set several years in the future. In the premiere episode, Philadelphia homicide detective and criminal profiler Virgil Tibbs has returned to his hometown of Sparta, Mississippi, for his mother's funeral. Under his relationship with Bill Gillespie, the white police chief fostered during a previous murder investigation in which he assisted, Tibbs is persuaded by the mayor to remain in Sparta as Chief of Detectives. The events o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format has increased in both streaming services and broadcast television. The term " serial" is used in the United Kingdom and in other Commonwealth nations to describe a show that has an ongoing narrative plotline, while "series" is used for a set of episodes in a similar way that "season" is used in North America. Definitions A miniseries is distinguished from an ongoing television series; the latter does not usually have a predetermined number of episodes and may continue for several years. Before the term was coined in the US in the early 1970s, the ongoing episodic form was always called a " serial", just as a novel appearing in episodes in successive editions of magazines or newspapers is called a serial. In Britain, miniseries are often ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LeVar Burton
Levar Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host, best known for playing Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994). He also played Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977), and was host of the PBS Kids educational television series ''Reading Rainbow'' for more than 23 years (1983–2006). He received 12 Daytime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as host and executive producer of ''Reading Rainbow''. His other roles include Cap Jackson in ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977), Donald Lang in ''Dummy'' (1979), Tommy Price in ''The Hunter'' (1980), which earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, and Martin Luther King Jr. in ''Ali'' (2001). Burton received the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards for his narration of the book ''The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.'' In 1990, he was honored for his achievements in television ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roots (1977 Miniseries)
''Roots'' is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family''. The series first aired on ABC in January 1977. ''Roots'' received 37 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and won nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings for the finale, which holds the record as the third-highest-rated episode for any type of television series, and the second-most-watched overall series finale in U.S. television history. It was produced on a budget of $6.6 million. A sequel, '' Roots: The Next Generations'', first aired in 1979, and a second sequel, '' Roots: The Gift'', a Christmas television film, starring Burton and Louis Gossett Jr., first aired in 1988. A related film, ''Alex Haley's Queen'', is based on the life of Queen Jackson Haley, who was Alex Haley's paternal grandmother. In 2016, a remake of the original miniseries, with the same name, was commissioned by the History ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
