Davis Roberts (born Robert A. Davis, March 7, 1917 – July 18, 1993) was an American character actor whose career spanned five decades, from the late 1940s until just before his death in 1993. He started out making films in the 1940s and 1950s and expanded into television work in the following decades. Davis was known for his dignified portrayals which were often in contrast to prevailing stereotypical roles. He played the role of Dr. Caldwell in three episodes in the second and third seasons of the NBC-TV sitcom series ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the United ...

'', and as Dr. Ozaba in the 1968 episode "

The Empath "The Empath" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Joyce Muskat and directed by John Erman, it was first broadcast on December 6, 1968. In the episode, while vis ...

" in the original ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' series. He was active off-screen as well, serving several terms on the western advisory board of

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

. As one of the officers of Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

he helped present the first

Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

in 1967.

Death

Davis died in the home of his brother Charles on July 18, 1993 of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

at the age of 76.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Davis 1917 births 1993 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights American male television actors American male film actors Actors from Mobile, Alabama Respiratory disease deaths in Illinois Deaths from emphysema African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century African-American people