Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Howard Rollins was best known for his role as Andrew Young in 1978's ''

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

'', George Haley in the 1979 miniseries '' Roots: The Next Generations'', Coalhouse Walker Jr. in the 1981 film ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

'', Captain Davenport in the 1984 film '' A Soldier's Story'', and as Virgil Tibbs on the TV crime drama '' In the Heat of the Night''. In the fall of 1996, Rollins was diagnosed with AIDS. Six weeks later, he died at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York at the age of 46, from complications from lymphoma. He was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in his native Baltimore. Over the span of his acting career, Rollins was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy.

Early life

Born to Ruth and Howard Ellsworth Rollins Sr. on October 17, 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland, Rollins was the youngest of four children. His mother was a domestic worker, and father a steelworker who died in 1980. After his high school graduation, Rollins studied theater at Towson University.

Career

In 1970, Rollins left college to play the role of "Slick" in the PBS soap opera ''Our Street''. In 1974, he moved to New York City, where he appeared in the Broadway productions of ''We Interrupt This Program'' (1975), ''The Mighty Gents'' (1978), and '' G. R. Point'' (1979). He also appeared in the TV miniseries ''

'' and '' Roots: The Next Generations''. In 1981, Rollins made his film debut in the

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

/ Miloš Forman motion picture ''

''. His performance in the film earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor as well as Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture. The following year, he was nominated for a

Daytime Emmy The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (N ...

for his role on '' Another World''. In 1984, Rollins starred in director

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (born July 21, 1926) is a retired Canadian film and television director, producer, and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. He has directed numerous feature films and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

's film '' A Soldier's Story'', which led to his role as Virgil Tibbs on '' In the Heat of the Night'', the television series based on Jewison's acclaimed 1967 film of the same name. ''In the Heat of the Night'' began airing on NBC in 1988. During the show's run, Rollins struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol. He was arrested four times for drug and alcohol-related crimes, spending one month in jail for reckless driving and driving under the influence. Due to his ongoing personal and legal issues, Rollins was dismissed from the series at the end of Season 6. Rollins returned for several guest appearances in the seventh season of the show in 1993 – 1994. After being fired from ''In the Heat of the Night'', Rollins achieved sobriety and worked on rebuilding his career and reputation. In 1995, he appeared in a guest role on ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torre ...

'', followed by a role in the film ''

Drunks Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main ...

''. In 1996, he appeared in a guest role on ''

Remember WENN ''Remember WENN'' is a comedy-drama television series that aired from 1996 to 1998 on the cable channel American Movie Classics. Created and written by Rupert Holmes (with music also by Holmes) and set at the fictional Pittsburgh radio station ...

''. His final acting role was in the 1996 television movie ''Harambee!''.

Personal life

Legal issues

In 1988, Rollins pled guilty to cocaine possession in Louisiana. In 1992 and 1993, he was arrested on three occasions for driving under the influence. In 1994, he served a month in jail for reckless driving and driving under the influence. Because of his legal problems, Rollins was dropped from ''In the Heat of the Night''. After attending

drug rehab Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general intent i ...

, he returned to ''In the Heat of the Night'' as a guest star.

Death

On December 8, 1996, Rollins died at age 46 at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

from

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...

-related complications. His funeral was held on December 13 in Baltimore.

Legacy

On October 25, 2006, a wax statue of Rollins was unveiled at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore. The statue is now at Baltimore's

Great Blacks in Wax Museum The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is a wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland featuring prominent African-American and other black historical figures. It was established in 1983, in a downtown storefront on Saratoga Street. The museum is currentl ...

. Howard is a distant relative to Philadelphia Phillies Jimmy Rollins.

Filmography

References

External links

The Howard E. Rollins Foundation
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rollins, Howard 1950 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American male actors Male actors from New York (state) American male film actors African-American male actors American male soap opera actors AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from lymphoma Male actors from Baltimore Towson University alumni American male stage actors American male television actors 20th-century African-American people