Anthony Chisholm (April 9, 1943 – October 16, 2020)
was an American actor.
Career
He was nominated for a
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for Best Supporting Actor in a play, for his role of Elder Joseph Barlow in
August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's ''
Radio Golf
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
''. He also performed on Broadway in
August Wilson
August Wilson ( Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays, collectively called ' (or ...
's ''
Gem of the Ocean
''Gem of the Ocean'' (2003) is a play by American playwright August Wilson. Although the ninth play produced, chronologically it is the first installment of his decade-by-decade, ten-play chronicle, ''The Pittsburgh Cycle'', dramatizing the Afri ...
'' in the role of "Solly Two Kings", and ''Two Trains Running'' in the role of "Wolf". He is a winner of both the
Drama Desk Award and the
Obie Award for August Wilson's ''Jitney'', which enjoyed a ten-month run in New York City. He is also the recipient of the NAACP Theatre Award, the AUDELCO Award, the Ovation Award, and the I.R.N.E. Award.
He also received nominations for the
Drama Desk Awards
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
(2),
Drama League Award
The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...
(1),
Joseph Jefferson Award
The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater sta ...
(4),
Ovation Award
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...
(4),
NAACP Theatre Awards
The NAACP Theatre Awards are a NAACP member voted awards started in 1991 and presented annually by the Beverly Hills-Hollywood branch of the NAACP to honor outstanding people of color in theater. The ceremonies usually take place in the Los Angele ...
(2), and
AUDELCO
AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City.
AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv awa ...
Award
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.
An awar ...
(2).
He performed internationally in the hit Vietnam play, ''Tracers'', at The
Seymour Center, Sydney, Australia; the
Universal Theatre, Melbourne, Australia; The Royal Court Theatre, London, England. He also performed ''Jitney'' at London's National Theatre on the South Bank winning the
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...
for Best New Play.
Chisholm played Burr Redding on the
HBO television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
''
Oz'' for three seasons. He appears in the films ''
Premium Rush
''Premium Rush'' is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by David Koepp and written by Koepp and John Kamps. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, and Jamie Chung. It follows a bicycle messenger chased arou ...
'' and ''
Chi-Raq
''Chi-Raq'' () is a 2015 American musical crime comedy drama film, directed and produced by Spike Lee and co-written by Lee and Kevin Willmott. Set in Chicago, the film focuses on the gang violence prevalent in neighborhoods on the city's sout ...
''.
Personal life
He was born and grew up in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. Chisholm was drafted into the Army in 1964 and served as a platoon leader in Vietnam.
He married Valerie Moore in 1972 which ended in divorce. Chisholm married Gloria Nixon in 1979 which also ended in divorce.
Selected filmography
*
Uptight (film)
''Uptight'' (also known as ''Up Tight!'') is a 1968 American drama film directed by Jules Dassin. It was intended as an updated version of John Ford's 1935 film '' The Informer'', based on the book of the same name by Liam O'Flaherty, but the se ...
(1968) (Uncredited) (First role)
*(
Putney Swope
''Putney Swope'' is a 1969 American satirical comedy film written and directed by Robert Downey Sr., and starring Arnold Johnson as the title character, a black advertising executive. The film satirizes the advertising world, the portrayal of ...
(1969) (Cowboy 3)
*(
Cotton Comes to Harlem
''Cotton Comes to Harlem'' is a 1970 American neo-noir action comedy thriller film co-written and directed by Ossie Davis and starring Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, and Redd Foxx. The film, later cited as an early example of the ...
) (1970) (Plain clothes man)
*(
Great Performances
''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise theatrical performances such as plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is p ...
) (1974) (Servant to Cornwall) (
King Lear
''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare.
It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...
)
*(
Death of a Prophet
''Death of a Prophet'' is a 1981 television film, written and directed by Woodie King Jr., and starring Morgan Freeman as Malcolm X.
Cast
* Morgan Freeman as Malcolm X
* Yolanda King as Betty Shabazz
* Ossie Davis as himself
* Yuri Kochiyama ...
) (1981) (As Tony Chisholm)
*(
New York Undercover
''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torre ...
(1996) (Freddy Wells) (Unis)
*
Beloved (1998 film)
''Beloved'' is a 1998 American psychological horror drama film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Thandiwe Newton. Based on Toni Morrison's 1987 novel of the same name, the plot centers on a former enslaved ...
(Langhorne)
*
Third Watch
''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 26, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...
(2001) (Eric) (Adam 55-3)
*
100 Centre Street (2002) (Wally Zane) (Zero Tolerance)
*
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2002) (Leroy Russell) (Execution)
*
Hack (TV series)
''Hack'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Koepp that aired on CBS in the United States from September 27, 2002 to March 13, 2004, having 40 episodes broadcast over two seasons. The series centers on former Philadelphi ...
(2002-03) (Big Elwood) (Songs in the Night, Black Eye)
*
Oz (TV series) (2001-03) (Burr Redding)
*
The Handler (TV series)
''The Handler'' is a crime series created by Canadian writer-producer Chris Haddock, airing in the United States on CBS in the 2003-04 season. The show starred Joe Pantoliano as Joe Renato, an FBI agent assigned to train and handle (hence the t ...
(2003) (Frederick Speed) (Under Color of Law)
*
Reign Over Me
''Reign Over Me'' is a 2007 American buddy drama film written and directed by Mike Binder, and produced by his brother Jack Binder. The film stars Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle with Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland, Saffron ...
(2007) (William Johnson)
*
Blackout (2007 film)
''Blackout'' is a 2007 American film about the Northeast Blackout of 2003 in New York City. The film is written and directed by Jerry Lamothe, and it stars Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Saldana, Prodigy, Michael B. Jordan, and LaTanya Richardson. The film ...
(Toothless Tone)
*
Entre nos (2009) (Joe)
*
13 (2010 film) (Mr. Gomez)
*
Detroit 1-8-7
''Detroit 1-8-7'' is an American police procedural drama series about the Detroit Police Department's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It featured an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel. ...
(2010) (George) (Nobody's Home/Unknown Soldier)
*
Premium Rush
''Premium Rush'' is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by David Koepp and written by Koepp and John Kamps. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, and Jamie Chung. It follows a bicycle messenger chased arou ...
(2012) (Tito)
*
Nasty Baby
''Nasty Baby'' is a 2015 Chilean-American drama film written and directed by Sebastián Silva and starring Kristen Wiig, Silva, and Tunde Adebimpe alongside Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Agustín Silva, Alia Shawkat, Lillias White, and Anthony ...
(2015) (Mo's father)
*
Condemned (2015 film) (Shynola)
*
Chi-Raq
''Chi-Raq'' () is a 2015 American musical crime comedy drama film, directed and produced by Spike Lee and co-written by Lee and Kevin Willmott. Set in Chicago, the film focuses on the gang violence prevalent in neighborhoods on the city's sout ...
(2015) (Mr. Doctor Aesop)
*
Shades of Blue (TV series)
''Shades of Blue'' is an American drama television series created by Adi Hasak and loosely based on the novel ''Shades of Blue: 30 Years of (Un)ethical Policing'' by Michael Rudolph. The series premiered on January 7, 2016 on NBC. Set in New Yor ...
(2016) (Moses) (What Devil Do)
*
Bakery in Brooklyn (2016) (Nathan)
*
Going in Style (2017 film)
''Going in Style'' is a 2017 American heist drama comedy film remake of the 1979 film of the same name. Directed by Zach Braff and written by Theodore Melfi, it stars Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Joey King, Matt Dillon, Christop ...
(Knights Grandmaster Paul)
*
High Maintenance
''High Maintenance'' is an American anthology comedy-drama television and web series created by ex-husband and wife team Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld. The show follows The Guy, a cannabis courier (played by Sinclair), as he delivers his pr ...
(2018) (Mr. Chase) (Namaste)
*
Random Acts of Flyness
''Random Acts of Flyness'' is an American late-night sketch comedy television series created by Terence Nance that premiered on August 4, 2018 on HBO. Additionally, Nance appears in each episode of the series which he also wrote, directed, and e ...
(2018) (Uncle Ren/Old Man)
*
Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019) (Old Chess Player)
References
External links
*
1943 births
2020 deaths
African-American male actors
American male film actors
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
American male stage actors
American male television actors
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