Born in New York City; educated at NYU (drama). Black character player who voiced the United Negro College Fund commercials: "...because a mind is a terrible thing to waste." He appeared in the Broadway revival of Mary Stuart in 1971. His film career had just begun to flourish when he died of a heart attack. Other notable credits include CHE! (1969), MEN OF BRONZE (1977), THE HITTER (1979), FIST OF FEAR, TOUCH OF DEATH (1980), THE COLOR PURPLE (1985) and CLUB PARADISE (1986).  Nominated for Supporting Actor 1984: A SOLDIER'S STORY 1 nomination