Lon Satton (born Alonzo Louis Lee Staton; February 11, 1927 – October 30, 2020) was an American

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

based in the United Kingdom. He is widely-known for originating the role of Poppa in the

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

's musical ''

Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope of ...

,'' for which he received a 1984 Olivier Award nomination for an Best Actor in a Musical. He is sometimes credited as Lonnie Sattin.

Early life

One of nine children, Satton was born in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

in 1927, the son of

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly Bl ...

minister C.T. Staton. His family moved to

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 ...

at an early age. Satton attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

, and initially considered following in his father's footsteps as an evangelist, but developed an interest in entertainment after winning a singing contest.

Career

As a singer, Satton performed in many jazz clubs, and for a time was a vocalist under

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

and the Cotton Club Revue. In Chicago, he joined a theatre troupe that saw him begin a career in

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

. He starred opposite

Barbara McNair Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades in television, film, and stage. McNair's professional career began in music dur ...

in the 1958 musical ''

The Body Beautiful ''The Body Beautiful'' is a musical with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock. The first collaboration by Harnick and Bock, and the only one to have a contemporary setting, its plot focuses ...

''. He also recorded several records for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. Satton made his film debut with an uncredited part in the B-movie ''

The Human Duplicators ''The Human Duplicators'' is a 1965 American science fiction film by Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc. Produced and directed by Hugo Grimaldi and Arthur C. Pierce (the latter uncredited as director), the film stars George Nader, Barbara Nichols, ...

''. He was the second actor to play Lt. Jack Neal on the soap opera ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

''. In the early 1970s, he relocated to the United Kingdom. He played a supporting role as a CIA agent in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film ''Live and Let Die'' (1973). In 1971, he acted in Emil Dean Zoghby and Ray Pohlman's musical, '' Catch My Soul'', at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

in London with

Lance LeGault William Lance LeGault (May 2, 1935 – September 10, 2012) was an American actor. He was best known as U.S. Army Colonel Roderick Decker in the 1980s American television series ''The A-Team''. Early and personal life LeGault was born May 2, 193 ...

and

Sylvia McNeill Sylvia McNeill (born 5 August 1947, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England) is a British people, British pop music, pop and rock music, rock singer and songwriter. She began her career singing and playing bass guitar with various groups and bands. ...

. The following year, he acted in ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, ''The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with music ...

'', at the same venue. In 1977, he acted in Loften Mitchell's musical ''

Bubbling Brown Sugar ''Bubbling Brown Sugar'' is a musical revue written by Loften Mitchell based on a concept by Rosetta LeNoire and featuring the music of numerous African-American artists who were popular during the Harlem Renaissance, 1920–1940, including Duke ...

'' in London. Arguably his best known role was as Ramblin' Poppa McCoy in

's musical ''

'', which he continuously played from the show's opening in 1984 until 1996. His performance earned him an

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 as ...

nomination for an Best Actor in a Musical.

Personal life

Satton had two children with his wife, actress Tina Sattin. His cousin was jazz singer

Dakota Staton Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007) was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit "The Late, Late Show". She was also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period due to her conversion to ...

Filmography

Film

*1968: ''

For Love of Ivy ''For Love of Ivy'' is a 1968 romantic comedy film directed by Daniel Mann. The film stars Sidney Poitier, Abbey Lincoln, Beau Bridges, Nan Martin, Lauri Peters, and Carroll O'Connor. The story was written by Poitier with screenwriter Robert Alan ...

'' - Harry *1970: ''

The Invincible Six ''The Invincible Six'' is a 1970 US, American-Iranian adventure film directed by Jean Negulesco and starring Stuart Whitman, Elke Sommer, Curd Jürgens, and Ian Ogilvy. Six international criminals attempt to steal the Iranian Crown Jewels, crown ...

'' - Mike *1970: ''

Hello-Goodbye ''Hello-Goodbye'' is a 1970 British comedy film starring Michael Crawford, and was the final film directed by Jean Negulesco. Plot Harry England, a British car salesman on a trip to France, meets a Baroness, "Dany", when her Rolls-Royce breaks d ...

'' - Cole Strutter *1971: ''Welcome to the Club'' - Marshall Bowles *1972: ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black and ...

'' - Pianist *1973: '' Live and Let Die'' - Harold Strutter *1978: ''

Revenge of the Pink Panther ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'' is a 1978 comedy film. It is the sixth film in ''The Pink Panther'' comedy film series. Released in 1978, it is the final on-set performance of Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Jacques Clouseau. It was also ...

'' - Sam Spade and the Private Eyes #1 *1990: ''

The March The March can refer to: * March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, a 1963 civil rights event * Salt March, when Gandhi in 1930 walked to protest the British salt tax in India * Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War * Long March i ...

'' - Jack Harris

Television

*1969: ''One Life to Live'' - Lieutenant Jack Neal *1975: ''

Space 1999 ''Space: 1999'' is a British science-fiction television programme that ran for two series from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, set in the year 1999, nuclear waste stored on the Moon's far side explodes, knocking the Moon out of orbit an ...

'' - Benjamin Ouma (1 episode) *1975: ''

Quiller Quiller is a fictional character created by English novelist Elleston Trevor. Quiller, whose one-word name is a pseudonym, works as a spy, and he is the hero of a series of 19 Cold War thrillers written under the pseudonym Adam Hall, and beca ...

'' - Jim Lane (2 episodes) *1994: ''

The Lenny Henry Show ''The Lenny Henry Show'' is a comedy sketch show (and in its 1987–1988 incarnation, a sitcom) featuring Lenny Henry. It was originally broadcast between 1984 and 1988, and was later revived twice, in 1995 and 2004–2005. History Original vers ...

'' - Chief of police (1 episode)

References

External links

* * 1929 births 2020 deaths African-American male actors African-American male singers American male stage actors Male actors from Philadelphia Musicians from Philadelphia American male film actors American male television actors American male musical theatre actors American expatriate male actors in the United Kingdom Male actors from Jacksonville, Florida Musicians from Jacksonville, Florida Temple University alumni {{US-film-actor-stub Church of God in Christ