Le Tari (April 21, 1946 – April 4, 1987) was an American actor who appeared in movies and television.

Background

Distinctive for his imposing physical stature, broad mustache and lantern jaw, Tari landed a starring role in the 1976

blaxploitation In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...

film ''

Brotherhood of Death ''Brotherhood of Death'' is a low-budget film, low-budget 1976 action film in the blaxploitation genre, directed by Richard F. Barker and Bill Berry, and starring Roy Jefferson, Le Tari, and Haskell Anderson. The film featured appearances by seve ...

''. In the late 1970s, he would make guest appearances on such television programs as ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985. Lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes, ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history ...

'', ''

Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired ...

'' and ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

'', as well as appear in such feature films as ''

Fast Break Fast break is an offensive strategy in basketball and handball. In a fast break, a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible, so that the defense is outnumbered and does not have time to set up. The ...

'' and ''

The Onion Field ''The Onion Field'' is a 1973 nonfiction book by Joseph Wambaugh, a sergeant for the Los Angeles Police Department, chronicling the kidnapping of two plainclothes LAPD officers by a pair of criminals during a traffic stop and the subsequent mu ...

''. Tari's widest exposure would come in the early 1980s, with a recurring role on the television

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which originally aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and ...

''. On that show, Tari played Ted Ramsey, the adoptive father of Arnold Jackson's best friend, Dudley (

Shavar Ross Shavar Ross is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, editor, photographer, author, online retail entrepreneur, and spiritual mentor and teacher. He is known for his recurring television role as Dudley Johnson, Arnold Ja ...

). After ''Diff'rent Strokes'', Tari went on to further television guest appearances, and near the end of his life, he returned to film work, appearing in the 1987 films ''

Hollywood Shuffle ''Hollywood Shuffle'' is a 1987 American satirical comedy film about the racial stereotypes of African Americans in film and television. The film tracks the attempts of Bobby Taylor to become a successful actor and the mental and external roadb ...

'' and ''

Amazon Women on the Moon ''Amazon Women on the Moon'' is a 1987 American satirical science-fiction sketch comedy film that parodies the experience of watching low-budget films on late-night television. The film, featuring a large ensemble cast with cameo appearances b ...

''. He also appeared in ''

What's Happening Now!! ''What's Happening Now!!'' is an American sitcom sequel to the original American Broadcasting Company, ABC 1976–1979 sitcom ''What's Happening!!'' focusing on its main characters as independent people. It aired in first-run broadcast syndicati ...

'' as Dr. Blood, a reformed gang banger trying to help the youth center, in the episode "That Old Gang Of Mine". Tari died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on April 4, 1987, 17 days before his 41st birthday. He was buried at the

Inglewood Park Cemetery Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California, was founded in 1905. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed there. History The proposed establishment of "the larges ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

External links

* 1946 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery Male actors from Ohio 20th-century African-American male actors {{US-screen-actor-1940s-stub