Ron O'Neal (September 1, 1937 – January 14, 2004) 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 ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, who rose to fame in his role as Youngblood Priest, a New York cocaine dealer, in the blaxploitation film '' Super Fly'' (1972) and its sequel '' Super Fly T.N.T.'' (1973). O'Neal was also a director and writer for the sequel, and for the film ''Up Against the Wall''.

Early life

Ron O'Neal grew up in a working-class neighborhood of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, to parents Eunice and Ernest O'Neal, a former jazz musician who earned his living as a factory worker. Ernest died when Ron was 16 years old. Six months later his brother, who worked as a truck driver, was killed in an accident. Following these tragedies his mother found a job in a hospital to sustain the family. Ron graduated from

Glenville High School Glenville High School is a public high school in the Glenville area on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. The school is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The school originally resided at the former Oliver Wendell Holmes school ( ...

and attended

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, where he became interested in acting after seeing the play '' Finian's Rainbow''. He joined the

Karamu House Karamu House in the Fairfax neighborhood on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is the oldest African-American theater in the United States opening in 1915. Many of Langston Hughes's plays were developed and premièred at the theater. ...

company in Cleveland, Ohio, working with the oldest African-American theatre company in the United States from 1957 until 1964, during which period he appeared in plays such as ''

Kiss Me, Kate ''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-stag ...

'', ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pers ...

'' and ''

A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chi ...

'', while working as a housepainter to earn his living. In 1964, he went to New York, teaching acting classes at the Harlem Youth Arts Program and appearing 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 ...

plays.

Career

In 1969, he appeared in the Broadway play ''

Ceremonies in Dark Old Men A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular) ...

''. In 1969, appearing in

Charles Gordone Charles Edward Gordone (October 12, 1925 – November 16, 1995) was an American playwright, actor, director, and educator. He was the first African American to win the annual Pulitzer Prize for Drama and he devoted much of his professional lif ...

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning play '' No Place to Be Somebody'', he garnered even more attention, winning an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

and several other prizes. From there, he moved on to cinema with two minor roles in ''

Move Move may refer to: People * Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move Go ...

'' (1970) and '' The Organization'' (1971), after which he was contacted by a friend from Cleveland, screenwriter Phillip Fenty, who suggested he star in an all-black film about a drug dealer. Although shot on a meager budget, the film, '' Super Fly'' (1972), went on to become a major hit at the box office. The success of that film led to a sequel, '' Super Fly T.N.T.'' (1973), which O'Neal himself directed, and in which he reprised his role as Youngblood Priest. Nevertheless, the movie was a box office failure. Afterward, he was frequently typecast as pimp or drug dealer. In 1975, he returned to Broadway, starring in ''All Over Town'' under the direction of

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...

and he also appeared in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

plays during the 1970s, including ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'', ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' and ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...

''. During those years, film roles that went beyond stock characters were few and far between, notable exceptions being his roles in ''Brothers'' (1977), the television movie ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarch ...

'' (1980), and the miniseries '' The Sophisticated Gents'' (1981). He had a number of television guest appearances, frequently playing detective roles. He played a recurring role as police detective, Isadore Smalls, in the TV series '' The Equalizer'', which ran for three seasons in the mid-1980s and starred British actor, Edward Woodward. He played the primary antagonist, Colonel Ernesto Bella, in 1984's ''

Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius with a screenplay by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a land invasion of the continental United States by an alliance ...

''. In 1988, O'Neal had a recurring role as Mercer Gilbert on the popular NBC television sitcom ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...

'', playing the wealthy father of the spoiled southern belle Whitley Gilbert (

Jasmine Guy Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'', ...

). His appearances lasted through 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the blaxploitation reunion film ''

Original Gangstas ''Original Gangstas'' is a 1996 action-gangster film filmed and set in urban Gary, Indiana starring Blaxploitation film stars such as Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, and Richard Roundtree. It is the final film directed by Larry Cohen ...

''.

Personal life

O'Neal was first married to actress Carol Tillery Banks, from November 1973 until 1980 (divorced), and then to Audrey Pool, from 1993 until his death in 2004.

Death

O'Neal died in Los Angeles on January 14, 2004, after a four-year battle with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

, on the same day ''Super Fly'' was released on DVD in the United States. The

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

's 2014 album ''A Better Tomorrow'' includes a song titled "Ron O'Neal".

Filmography

Actor

* ''

'' (1970) .... Peter * '' The Organization'' (1971) .... Joe Peralez * '' Super Fly'' (1972) .... Youngblood Priest * '' Super Fly T.N.T.'' (1973) .... Youngblood Priest * ''

The Master Gunfighter ''The Master Gunfighter'' is a film released in 1975 in Panavision, written and produced by Tom Laughlin, who also played the lead as Finley. ''The Master Gunfighter'' is mainly a remake of the 1969 Japanese film '' Goyokin'', although the story r ...

'' (1975) .... Paulo * ''Brothers'' (1977) .... Walter Nance * '' The Hitter'' (1979) .... Otis * ''

A Force of One ''A Force of One'' is a 1979 American action martial arts film starring Chuck Norris, Jennifer O'Neill, Ron O'Neal, Clu Gulager and Bill Wallace. The film was directed by Paul Aaron and written by Pat E. Johnson and Ernest Tidyman and released b ...

'' (1979) .... Rollins * '' When a Stranger Calls'' (1979) .... Lt. Charlie Garber * ''

Freedom Road ''Freedom Road'' was a 1979 American TV historical drama mini-series starring boxer Muhammad Ali and Kris Kristofferson, based on the 1944 novel by Howard Fast and directed by Jan Kadar. Running for four hours, it was first broadcast on NBC on ...

'' (1979, TV) .... Francis Cardoza * ''

'' (1980, TV) .... Mustapha Mond * '' Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones'' (1980, TV) .... Colonel Robles * '' The Final Countdown'' (1980) .... Commander Dan Thurman * '' The Sophisticated Gents'' (1981, TV Series) .... Clarence 'Claire' Henderson * '' St. Helens'' (1981) .... Otis Kaylor * ''

Bring 'Em Back Alive (TV series) ''Bring 'Em Back Alive'' is an adventure television series starring Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, and Ron O'Neal. Premise Frank Buck is big game trapper and collector of wild animals who works out of the Raffles Hotel bar in Singapore during ...

'' (TV Series 1982 1983) .... H.H., His Royal Highness, the

Sultan of Johore Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a Royal and noble ranks, position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" ...

* ''

'' (1984) .... Colonel Ernesto Bella * ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' (TV Series 4X4) * ''

As Summers Die ''As Summers Die'' is a 1986 American made-for-television drama film starring Scott Glenn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bette Davis and Beah Richards, directed by Jean-Claude Tramont. The film is loosely based on Winston Groom's 1980 novel of the same name ...

'' (1986, TV) .... Daniel Backus * ''Mercenary Fighters'' (1988) .... Cliff Taylor * ''

Hero and the Terror ''Hero and the Terror'' is a 1988 American action film starring martial arts star Chuck Norris, directed by William Tannen. Produced by Menahem Golan, written by Michael Blodgett, and was distributed by Cannon Films. The film stars Norris as Dan ...

'' (1988) .... Mayor * ''Zombie Death House'' (1988) .... Tom Boyle * ''Hyper Space'' (1989) .... Samuel 'Tubbs' Tubarian * ''Trained to Kill'' (1989) .... George 'Cotton' Shorter * ''

'' (1990-1992, TV Series) .... Mercer Gilbert * ''Up Against the Wall'' (1991) .... George Wilkes * '' Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter'' (1994) .... Detective * ''

'' (1996) ... Bubba * ''The Rage Within'' (2001) .... Captain Lang * ''On the Edge'' (2002) .... Frank Harris (final film role)

Director/Writer

* '' Super Fly T.N.T.'' (1973) * ''Up Against the Wall'' (1992)

References

External links

*
Interview with Ron O'Neal about Superfly
from the WGBH series, Say Brother {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneal, Ron 1937 births 2004 deaths Glenville High School alumni African-American male actors American male screenwriters American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer Ohio State University alumni Obie Award recipients Writers from Utica, New York Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Male actors from Cleveland Film directors from New York (state) Screenwriters from New York (state) Screenwriters from Ohio 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American people African-American male writers