Theodore Rosevelt "Teddy" Wilson (December 10, 1943 – July 21, 1991) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for his recurring roles as Earl the Postman 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 ...

sitcom ''

That's My Mama ''That's My Mama'' is an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the ABC network from September 4, 1974 until December 24, 1975. There are 39 episodes of this series. ''That's My Mama'' was never a ratings success, having alw ...

'', and Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom ''

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 ...

'' and Phil Wheeler on '' Sanford Arms'' (1977).

Career

Born in Harlem, New York City, Wilson studied music at Florida A&M University before switching to drama. Upon returning to New York, he joined the Negro Ensemble Company and later worked with the Arena Stage Repertory. He made his acting debut in the

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

film, '' Cotton Comes to Harlem'', in 1970. The following year, Wilson left New York City and moved to Los Angeles to further his acting career. He made his television debut in a two-episode role as Hawthorne Dooley on the television series '' The Waltons''. In 1973, Wilson was cast as the character High Strung on the CBS sitcom '' Roll Out''. The series was canceled after 12 episodes. The following year, Wilson was cast as Earl Chambers, a postman on the sitcom ''

''. That series ran for two seasons on ABC. Wilson also starred in national TV commercials for

Aamco AAMCO is an American transmission-repair franchise founded by Robert Morgan and Anthony A. Martino (who used the first letter of each name to form the names AAMCO and later MAACO) in 1957 in Philadelphia. Martino eventually ended his affiliat ...

in the 1970s as a character named "Walter T." Wilson appeared as CWO2 Martin H. Williams, a chopper pilot and buddy of characters Trapper and Hawkeye in the Season 3 episode of M*A*S*H titled "The General Flipped at Dawn" (1974). In September 1976, Wilson was offered and signed a contract with Tandem Productions, the production company owned by Bud Yorkin and

Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (born July 27, 1922) is an American producer and screenwriter, who has produced, written, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear is known for many popular 1970s sitcoms, including the multi-award winning ''All in the Famil ...

, who produced some of the most popular television sitcoms of the 1970s. Wilson went on to guest star in several Yorkin/Lear-produced series including '' All in the Family'', ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the United ...

'', '' What's Happening!!'', '' The Jeffersons'', and ''

13 Queens Boulevard ''13 Queens Boulevard'' is an American sitcom that aired from March 20 until July 24, 1979. Premise The series was about the diverse residents of a Queens apartment complex. The major residents of the complex were Felicia and Steven Winters (E ...

''. In 1976, Wilson was cast as Sweet Daddy Williams, a street hustler on the CBS sitcom ''Good Times''. His character of Sweet Daddy appeared in a recurring role. In August 1977, it was announced that Wilson would star in a

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

series of the hit sitcom ''

'' called '' Sanford Arms''. ''Sanford and Son'' had ended in March 1977 when star

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movement. ...

left the series. ''Sanford Arms'' was intended to be a continuation of that highly popular series. In ''Sanford Arms'', Wilson starred as Phil Wheeler, an Army veteran and widower who has purchased the Sanford Arms, a rooming house, from his old Army buddy

Fred G. Sanford Fred G. Sanford is a fictional character portrayed by actor/comedian Redd Foxx on the 1972–1977 NBC sitcom '' Sanford and Son'' and the 1980–1981 NBC sitcom '' Sanford''. Foxx, whose real name was John Elroy Sanford, modeled the character ...

, the Foxx character from ''Sanford and Son''. Upon its premiere in September 1977, ''Sanford Arms'' was met with low ratings and was canceled after four episodes. After the series was canceled, Wilson made various TV guest appearances in episodes of '' The White Shadow'' (he also wrote a 1980 episode), '' Enos'', '' Gimme a Break!'', ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...

'', and ''

What's Happening Now ''What's Happening Now!!'' is an American sitcom sequel to the original ABC 1976–79 sitcom ''What's Happening!!'' focusing on its main characters as adults. It aired in first-run broadcast syndication from September 7, 1985 until March 26, 1988 ...

''. In 1986, he had a role as Jim-Jam on another short-lived series, '' The Redd Foxx Show''. Wilson continued to work throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing in ''

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 ...

'', '' Dallas'', '' Family Matters'', ''

Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

'', '' Gabriel's Fire'', '' Mama's Family'', and '' Quantum Leap''. He was also featured in several motion pictures including '' The Hunter'' (1980), Blake Edwards's '' A Fine Mess'', '' That's Life!'' (both 1986), and Mel Brooks's '' Life Stinks'' (1991). Wilson made his last onscreen appearance in '' Blood In Blood Out'', a 1993 crime drama released after his death.

Personal life

Wilson had two children with actress Joan Pringle. Wilson and Pringle were co-stars together during the second season of the television series ''

''. Pringle was named executrix of Wilson's estate when he died in 1991.

Death

On July 21, 1991, Wilson died of complications from a stroke at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 47. He had undergone open-heart surgery several years prior to his death.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Theodore 1943 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American male actors African-American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Florida A&M University alumni Male actors from New York City People from Harlem 20th-century African-American people