Charles Barnett (September 23, 1954 – March 16, 1996) was an American comedian and actor.

Life and career

Barnett was born in Bluefield, West Virginia. He first made a name for himself in the late 1970s and early 1980s, performing several shows of raunchy comedy a day at outdoor parks in New York City, most notably in Washington Square Park. In September 1980, Barnett auditioned for '' Saturday Night Live''. Producer Jean Doumanian was ready to hire him; however, Barnett was self-conscious about his poor reading skills and he skipped a follow-up reading. His spot in the cast was ultimately given to

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

. Barnett was reportedly envious and resentful of Murphy for several years, although in 1983 he told '' Jet magazine'', "Now that I'm making it, I watch Saturday Night Live every Saturday." Barnett went on to appear in film and on television. In the 1983 comedy film '' D.C. Cab'', he played the role of Tyrone, one of the main characters who begins and ends (after the credits) the movie. He had a recurring role on the hit 1980s TV series '' Miami Vice'' as Neville 'Noogie' Lamont. He appeared on '' Def Comedy Jam'' in 1993. Although the episode was not aired on TV, the DVD release of ''Def Comedy Jam'' contains an extra DVD with "2 Raw 4 TV", which has a Barnett performance. His last film role was in 1996 in the film ''

They Bite ''They Bite'' is a 1996 American Science fiction film, science-fiction horror film directed by Brett Piper and starring Ron Jeremy, Nick Baldasare, Donna Frotscher, and Christina Veronica. The film follows some of the premise covered in the Roger ...

''. He died that year at age 41 from complications from AIDS due to intravenous drug use.

Select filmography

*''

'' (1996) *'' Mondo New York'' (1988) *'' Nobody's Fool'' (1986) *'' Beer'' (1985) *'' My Man Adam'' (1985) *'' T.J. Hooker'' (1982-1986)T.J. Hooker, "The Chicago Connection", May 4, 1985
/ref> *'' Miami Vice'' (1984–1989) *'' D.C. Cab'' (1983)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnett, Charlie 1954 births 1996 deaths Male actors from West Virginia AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) African-American male actors American male film actors American male television actors People from Bluefield, West Virginia 20th-century American male actors 20th-century African-American people