Rodney Michael Harvey (July 31, 1967 – April 11, 1998) was an American

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 ...

, model, and

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

Career

Born 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 ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Harvey was discovered by director

Paul Morrissey Paul Morrissey (born February 23, 1938) is an American film director, best known for his association with Andy Warhol. He was also director of the first film in which a transgender actress, Holly Woodlawn, starred as a girlfriend of the main cha ...

in 1984. Morrissey cast Harvey in two of his films ''

Mixed Blood The term mixed-blood in the United States and Canada has historically been described as people of multiracial backgrounds, in particular mixed European and Native American ancestry. Today, the term is often seen as pejorative. Northern Woodl ...

'' (1985) and ''

Spike of Bensonhurst ''Spike of Bensonhurst'' is a 1988 American comedy drama and mafia film written and directed by Paul Morrissey and starring Sasha Mitchell. The film also features Ernest Borgnine, Maria Pitillo, and Talisa Soto. Plot The protagonist, Spike Fumo ...

'' (1988). Harvey attended South Philadelphia High School through the 11th grade, but dropped out to pursue a movie career. After signing with an agent, Harvey moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

where he continued acting and also began modeling. He appeared in a layout for ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' magazine featuring

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

photographed by Bruce Weber and worked for

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and ...

. In 1990, he landed the role of Sodapop Curtis in the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

series '' The Outsiders''. After the series ended after one season, Harvey guest starred on ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

'', followed by a role in the

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...

film '' My Own Private Idaho''. Harvey also appeared in the 1988 film ''

Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

'' alongside Draco Rosa. He made his last onscreen appearance in 1996 with a role in the drama ''God's Lonely Man''.

Death

During the making of ''My Own Private Idaho'', Harvey began using

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

. After several stints in jail and attempts to get clean, he died of a heroin and cocaine overdose on April 11, 1998 at the Hotel Barbizon in

. After his death, photos of him in the depths of heroin addiction appeared in an Office of Drug Control Policy ( Partnership for a Drug-Free America) public service announcement.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Rodney 1967 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors Male models from Philadelphia American male television actors Burials in Pennsylvania Cocaine-related deaths in California Deaths by heroin overdose in California Drug-related deaths in California Male actors from Philadelphia South Philadelphia High School alumni