Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, also credited as Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs (born September 4, 1953), is an American actor and singer. Best known for playing Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington in ''

Welcome Back Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the series ...

'' (1975–79), he has also appeared in a number of films and television shows, including ''

Claudine Claudine may refer to: Name * Claudine (given name), a feminine given name of French origin Culture * ''Claudine'' (film), a 1974 American film by John Berry ** ''Claudine'' (soundtrack), its soundtrack album. Music by Curtis Mayfield and Gladis ...

'' (1974), ''

Cooley High ''Cooley High'' is a 1975 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film that follows the narrative of high school seniors and best friends, Leroy "Preach" Jackson (Glynn Turman) and Richard "Cochise" Morris (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs). Written by Eric M ...

'' (1975), ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'' (1977), ''Bangers and Mash'' (1983), ''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with the ...

'' (1989–90), '' The Jacksons: An American Dream'' (1992), and '' 31'' (2016).

Life and career

Jacobs was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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 * '' ...

, the fifth of nine children of parents Hilton Jacobs (died 2000) and Clothilda Jacobs (died 2008). He began his acting career in the summer of 1969 and graduated from the

High School of Art and Design The High School of Art and Design is a career and technical education high school in Manhattan, New York City, New York State, United States. Founded in 1936 as the School of Industrial Art, the school moved to 1075 Second Avenue in 1960 and more ...

in 1971. He attended

Wilkes University Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students (both full and part-time). Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and bec ...

for a short time before his acting career took off. Afterward, he studied acting with the

Negro Ensemble Company The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) is a New York City-based theater company and workshop established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer-actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S. Krone, with funding from the Ford Foundation. ...

and the Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble. In 1975, he won the role of Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

hit comedy series, ''

Welcome Back, Kotter ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the series ...

''. Jacobs also starred in cult classic ''Cooley High'' in 1975, and two years later had a role in the block-buster ABC mini-series ''

''. Jacobs starred in a few commercials over the years, including an early 1970s commercial for

The United Negro College Fund UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities. ...

. Later in his career, he appeared in the 1989-1990 science fiction TV series ''

'' as Sgt. Dobbs, an LAPD detective. He portrayed Panda Thomas (#1) in

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

's slasher film '' 31''. Jacobs portrayed Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, the father of the

Jackson family The Jackson family is an American family of musicians and entertainers from Gary, Indiana. Many of the children of Joseph Walter (or Joe) and Katherine Esther Jackson were successful musicians, notably the brothers that formed the Motown boy b ...

, in the 1992

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 h ...

'' The Jacksons: An American Dream''. He also appeared in a commercial for

Salon Selectives Salon Selectives is a line of hair care products, ranging from shampoos and hair conditioners to hair mousses, sprays, gels, and oils. Salon Selectives was the first salon-inspired mass market hair care brand, introduced by Helene Curtis in 1987. ...

. Jacobs sang on

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

' 1981 album, '' Street Songs''. As a homage to him, the

housing project Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authorities, government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the d ...

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 ...

's television program ''

The PJs ''The PJs'' is an American adult animated stop-motion black sitcom created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Cabrini–Green housing projects in Chicago. Th ...

'' is named the Hilton-Jacobs Projects. He has two daughters.

Filmography

Film/Movie

Television

Music credits

* ''Lawrence Hilton Jacobs'' S/T (1978) * ''All the Way...Love'' (1979) * ''Let Me Do It'' (1981) (producer); performed by Halo; sought-after record among collectors.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Lawrence Hilton 1953 births Male actors from New York City African-American male actors American male singers American male film actors American male television actors Living people High School of Art and Design alumni 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American people