Ralph Wilcox (born January 30, 1950) is an American actor and director who has appeared in many movies and guest roles on television series during his career in

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, ...

, dating to the early 1970s. Some of his most memorable roles include "Jammin' Jim" Jenkins on the ''Emerald Cove'' segments of ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised fo ...

'', Mason Freeman in ''

seaQuest 2032 ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, i ...

,'' and Mugambi in '' Tarzan: The Epic Adventures.'' He played the role of

Uncle Henry Uncle Henry is a fictional character from The Oz Books by L. Frank Baum.Jack Snow (writer), Jack Snow, ''Who's Who in Oz'', Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1954; New York, Peter Bedrick Books, 1988; p. 227. He is the uncle of Dorothy Gale and husband of A ...

in the original Broadway production of ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...

.'' He wrote, directed, and produced ''

The Lena Baker Story ''Hope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story'' is a 2008 historical film. It is an adaptation of the book by Lela Bond Phillips, which chronicles the life and death of Lena Baker, an African-American woman in Georgia who was convicted in 1945 of cap ...

'' (2008), which chronicled the life of

Lena Baker Lena Baker (June 8, 1900 – March 5, 1945) was an African American maid in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States, who was wrongfully convicted of capital murder of a white man, Ernest Knight. She was executed by the state of Georgia in 1945. Baker ...

, a 43-year-old African-American mother of three who was convicted of

capital murder Capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, which was later adopted as a legal provision to define certain forms of aggravated murder in the United States. In som ...

and executed in 1945 by the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. She received a full pardon in 2005.

Partial filmography

Actor

* ''

Gordon's War ''Gordon's War'' is a 1973 action film written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis. It stars Paul Winfield as Gordon Hudson. Plot A Vietnam veteran returns home to find drug dealers and addicts now rule his old neig ...

'' (1973) .... Black hit man * '' Crazy Joe'' (1974) .... Sam * '' Maude'' (TV) (The Runaway) (1974).... Hinkley * ''

The Super Cops ''The Super Cops'' is a 1974 action adventure film directed by Gordon Parks and starring Ron Leibman and David Selby. The film is based on the book ''The Super Cops: The True Story of the Cops Called Batman and Robin'' by L. H. Whittemore. The ...

'' (1974) .... John Hayes * ''

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) .... Young Brother * ''

Big Eddie ''Big Eddie'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from August 23 until November 7, 1975. Its first three episodes, in a Saturday night time slot, did well in the ratings, but after it was moved to Friday nights, it had little succ ...

'' (TV) (1975) (main character) .... Raymond McKay * ''

The River Niger ''The River Niger'' is a play by Joseph A. Walker, first performed by New York City's Negro Ensemble Company off-Broadway in 1972. The production made its Broadway debut with a transfer to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 27 March 1973 for a run o ...

'' (1976) .... Al * ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

'' (1977) .... Robert * '' Busting Loose'' (TV) (1977) (regular character) .... Raymond St. Williams * ''

'' (1978) .... Uncle Henry / Crow / Field Mouse / Lord High Underling * ''

What's Happening!! ''What's Happening!!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, until April 28, 1979, premiering as a summer series. Due to other shows being cancelled across the network, and good ratings and reviews from ...

'' (TV) (2 episodes) (1976–1978).... Allan, Danny Domino * ''

Buffalo Soldiers Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in t ...

'' (TV) (1979) .... Oakley * ''

More American Graffiti ''More American Graffiti'' is a 1979 American coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by Bill L. Norton, produced by Howard Kazanjian. It is the sequel to the 1973 film ''American Graffiti''. Whereas the first film followed a group of frien ...

'' (1979) .... Felix * '' One in a Million'' (TV) (1980) (Main Character) .... Duke * ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...

'' (TV) (2 episodes) (1978–1981) .... Jason Davis * ''

Megaforce ''Megaforce'' (or ''MegaForce'') is a 1982 action film directed by former stuntman Hal Needham and written by James Whittaker, Albert S. Ruddy, Hal Needham and André Morgan based on a story by Robert S. Kachler. The film starred Barry Bostwi ...

'' (1982) .... Zac * ''

Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, the label he recorded under until his death in 2009, and t ...

'' (1983) .... Johnny Hammer * '' Columbo: Columbo Cries Wolf'' (TV) (1990) .... Chief * ''

White Lie A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deception, deceiving or Deception, misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a l ...

'' (TV) (1991) .... Len Madison Sr. * ''

Stompin' at the Savoy "Stompin' at the Savoy" is a 1933 jazz standard composed by Edgar Sampson. It is named after the famed Harlem nightspot the Savoy Ballroom in New York City. History and composition Although the song is credited to Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Edgar ...

'' (TV) (1992) .... Herman * '' Emerald Cove'' .... James "Jammin' Jim" Jenkins * ''

Cop and a Half ''Cop and a Half'' is a 1993 American family buddy cop-comedy film directed by Henry Winkler, and stars Burt Reynolds, Norman D. Golden II, and Ray Sharkey in his final role. Reynolds plays a veteran cop who reluctantly takes an eight-year-old ...

'' (1993) .... Detective Matt McPhail * ''

China Moon ''China Moon'' is a 1994 American romantic thriller film directed by John Bailey and starring Ed Harris, Madeleine Stowe and Benicio del Toro. It was written by Roy Carlson. It was filmed in 1991 but "shelved" for three years before its release. ...

'' (1994) .... Ballistic Technician * ''

Fortune Hunter Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

'' (TV) (1994) .... President Savimbe * '' Matlock'' (TV) (4 episodes) (1993–1995) * ''

Saved by the Light ''Saved by the Light'' is a 1994 nonfiction book by Dannion Brinkley describing his purported near-death experience (NDE). It is co-authored by Paul Perry (author), Paul Perry. The book was adapted for a 1995 Fox Broadcasting Company, FOX TV fil ...

'' (TV) (1995) .... Dr. Tomasson * ''

seaQuest DSV ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it ...

'' (TV) (1995/1996) (Series Regular) .... Mason Freeman * '' Last Dance'' (1996) .... Warden Rice * '' Tarzan: The Epic Adventures'' (TV) (1996).... Mugambi * '' A Different Kind of Christmas'' (TV) (1996) .... Doctor Nichols * '' Palmetto'' (1998) .... Judge * ''

From the Earth to the Moon ''From the Earth to the Moon: A Direct Route in 97 Hours, 20 Minutes'' (french: De la Terre à la Lune, trajet direct en 97 heures 20 minutes) is an 1865 novel by Jules Verne. It tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a post-American Civil W ...

'' (TV mini-series) (1998) .... V.I.P. * '' The Last Marshal'' (1999) .... Lukowski * '' Sheena'' (TV) (Sanctuary) (2001)

Director, writer and producer

* ''

'' (2008) *Christmas in the Smokies *Dallas Bullock (2015)

Trivia

Appeared alongside fellow ''

seaQuest ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, ...

'' actress

Karen Fraction Karen Elizabeth Fraction Hamilton (February 15, 1958 – October 30, 2007) was an American actress, dancer and model from Flint, Michigan. She is probably best remembered as Dr. Perry, the Chief Medical Officer in ''seaQuest 2032'', and Je ...

on two other occasions, first in '' Palmetto'' and in an episode of '' Sheena,'' called "Sanctuary".

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Ralph American male television actors American male film actors Film directors from Wisconsin African-American male actors Male actors from Milwaukee Living people 1950 births Film producers from Wisconsin 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people