Harrel Gordon Tillman Sr. (January 18, 1925 - June 19, 1998) was an actor who became an ordained minister and moved to Houston Texas where he also became a lawyer and judge. He was the first African-American judge in Texas. Tillman was born January 18, 1923, in

Wadesboro, North Carolina Wadesboro is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,049 at the 2020 census. The town was originally found in 1783 as New Town but changed by the North Carolina General Assembly to Wadesboro in 1787 to honor Co ...

. He grew up in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and graduated from

Livingstone College Livingstone College is a private, historically black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Livingstone College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Sout ...

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

. After college he moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he had a brief stage career. Tillman then moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

in 1947 where he appeared in a number of low budget films made with African American crews and casts including ''

That Man of Mine That Man of Mine is an American film released in 1946. Directed by Leonard Anderson, it features an African-American cast. According to the ''New York Times'', the all female group The International Sweethearts of Rhythm features in "sever ...

'', ''

Love in Syncopation Love in Syncopation is a 1946 musical comedy film released in the United States. The film featured Henri Woode and his band as well as Ruby Dee. Leonard Anderson directed and William D. Alexander produced. The film features dance and musical perf ...

'' and ''

The Fight Never Ends ''The Fight Never Ends'' is an American film with a crime fighting theme released in 1948. It was directed by Joe Lerner, with a cast that included boxer Joe Louis, Ruby Dee, The Mills Brothers, and Harrel Tillman. It was one of stage star Ruby ...

''. He left the movie business and joined the clergy of the

African Methodist Episcopal The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...

church in New York City serving as an assistant pastor before becoming an ordained minister. In the early 1950s he was transferred to a church in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, and served as an ordained minister in the

African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

, In Harlem he was an assistant pastor at Harlem's Church on the Hill and then he was the pastor at the Walls Chapel in Houston. Tillman led a gospel music program on local radio and hosted a talk show on radio station

KYOK KYOK (1140 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Conroe, Texas, and serving Greater Houston. It is currently owned by Salt of the Earth Broadcasting and airs an urban contemporary gospel radio format. KYOK broadcasts at 5,000 watts by d ...

in Houston. Tillman was admitted to the Texas bar in 1962 and in 1964 was named to the municipal court. He served as a general counsel on the Texas Joint Legislative Committee on Prison Reform and as a delegate to the Texas Democratic Party convention. He was unsuccessful in a bid for a seat in Congress in 1978 and 1982. Tillman was interviewed for the book ''Black Cinema Treasures''. He died of cancer on June 18, 1998 in Houston, at the age of 73.

Filmography

*''

'' (1947) *''

'' (1948) *'' Harlem Mood'' (1949), as vocalist

Filmography

References

See also