Leonard Jackson (actor)

Leonard Jackson (February 7, 1928 – December 22, 2013) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He had roles in several PBS television series for children, including ''Shining Time Station'' and ''Sesame Street'', and also acted in several films, including ''The Brother from Another Planet'', ''Car Wash'', and ''The Color Purple. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. After attending Fisk University, his professional acting debut was on the stage, in New York Shakespeare Festival's 1965 off-Broadway production of ''Troilus and Cressida''. In March 1968, he played Mr. Carpentier, the title character, in ''The Electronic Nigger'', part of a trio of one-act plays by Ed Bullins, during The American Place Theatre production of the play's premiere. He played a pastor in the Broadway premiere of ''The Great White Hope'', which ran for over 500 performances at the Alvin Theatre during 1968–1970.

As Leonard Jackson, he returned to Broadway two years later, first in the premiere of Conor Cruise O'Brien's ''Murderous Angels'' and after its short run, to a Broadway revival of the Kurt Weill musical ''Lost in the Stars'' at the Imperial Theatre.

A dozen years later, Jackson returned to Broadway for the premiere of ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'', which ran for 276 performances and was chosen "Best Play" by the New York Drama Critics Circle. In 1991, Jackson was part of the cast for the Broadway premiere of ''Mule Bone'', an unfinished play written by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. The production, mounted for the first time sixty years after it was written, received a negative review by Frank Rich, who said the "three principal performers ... are at best likably amateurish, houghtheir efforts are balanced by the assured center-stage turns of such old pros as Leonard Jackson, as a fuming man of the cloth, and Theresa Merritt."A Difficult Birth For ''Mule Bone''
a February 15, 1991 review by Frank Rich of ''The New York Times''

Children's series and guest roles

On television, he had a recurring role on several PBS television series for children, including ''Sesame Street'' as Mr. Hanford, ''Shining Time Station'', as First Class Engineer Henry "Harry" Cupper and '' Square One TV''/Mathnet. He has also been featured in episodes of dramas such as ''Law & Order'', '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', and '' Spenser: For Hire'', and comedies such as ''Amen'', ''The Cosby Show'', and ''The Jeffersons''.Leonard Jackson Credits
from TV.com

His made-for-television films include ''Separate but Equal'' (1991) and ''Rage of Angels'', the 1983 adaptation of the Sidney Sheldon novel.

Death

Jackson died on December 22, 2013, in Manhattan, New York at age 85 of Alzheimer's disease. He was survived by his wife, Ada Jackson.

Television and film career

His film roles include:
*'' Uptight'' (1968) .... Mr. Oakley (uncredited)
*''Together for Days'' (1972) .... Phil
*'' Ganja & Hess'' (1973) .... Archie
*'' Five on the Black Hand Side'' (1973) .... John Henry Brooks
*''Super Spook'' (1975) .... Super Spook
*''Car Wash'' (1976) .... Earl
*''The Baron'' (1977) .... Gus
*''King of the Gypsies'' (1978) .... (uncredited)
*''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984) .... Smokey
*''The Color Purple'' (1987, Documentary) .... Uncle Gus
*''Second Sight'' (1989) .... Doorman
*''Basket Case 2'' (1990) .... Police Commissioner
*'' A Rage in Harlem'' (1991) .... Mr. Clay
*''Boomerang'' (1992) .... Lloyd the Chemist
*'' Palookaville'' (1995) .... Bus Driver
*''Basquiat'' (1996) .... Jean Michel's Father
*''Conspiracy Theory'' (1997) .... Old Man in Bookstore (final film role)

References

External links

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Leonard Jackson
an
L. Errol Jaye
at Lortel Archives

Press Photos
from Yale Repertory Theatre, including two from 1984 that feature Jackson in ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Leonard
1928 births
Male actors from Jacksonville, Florida
American male film actors
American male stage actors
Fisk University alumni
American male television actors
2013 deaths
20th-century American male actors
Deaths from dementia in New York (state)
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in New York (state)
20th-century African-American male actors
21st-century African-American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Burials at Calverton National Cemetery