Lou Myers (September 26, 1935 – February 19, 2013), known alternately as Lou Leabengula Myers, was an American actor. Myers was born in

Chesapeake, West Virginia Chesapeake is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,336 at the 2020 census. The town is situated on the Kanawha River. History Chesapeake was incorporated on November 1, 1948, and was named for the Chesape ...

, the son of Dorothy Louise Brown Myers and Otis Louis Myers, a coal miner who spoke fluent German. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951. He was discharged in 1953 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in sociology from

West Virginia State University West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Color ...

and an MFA in theatre from

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...

. Myers was typically typecast as a grumpy old man, but he appeared in many movies, plays, and television programs. He made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

debut in 1975 as Reverend Mosely in the production ''The First Breeze of Summer'', alongside

Ethel Ayler Ethyl Spraggins Ayler (May 1, 1930 – November 18, 2018) was an American character actress with a career spanning over five decades. Biography Ayler was born in Whistler, Alabama and graduated from Fisk University. In 1957, she made her of ...

Moses Gunn Moses Gunn (October 2, 1929 – December 16, 1993) was an American actor of stage and screen. An Obie Award-winning stage player, he is an alumnus of the Negro Ensemble Company. His 1962 off-Broadway debut was in Jean Genet's ''The Blacks,'' and ...

, Bebe Drake, and Barbara Montgomery. He joined them in recreating their roles for a television adaptation that aired on

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...

in 1976. Myers was an original cast member of many

August Wilson August Wilson (né Frederick August Kittel Jr.; April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005) was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of 10 plays, collectively called '' ...

plays, including ''

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom ''Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'' is a 1982 play by August Wilson, set in a recording studio in 1920s Chicago during a recording session for the titular song by the blues singer Ma Rainey. The play deals with issues of race, art, religion, and the ...

'', ''Fences'', and ''

The Piano Lesson ''The Piano Lesson'' is a 1987 play by American playwright August Wilson. It is the fourth play in Wilson's ''The Pittsburgh Cycle''. Wilson began writing this play by playing with the various answers regarding the possibility of "acquir nga s ...

''. He is perhaps best known as the feisty Mr. Vernon Gaines in the sitcom ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

''. Myers was also an accomplished pianist and founder/director of the Tshaka Ensemble Players in Africa. Myers died at the

Charleston Area Medical Center Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) is the name of a complex of hospitals in Charleston, West Virginia, formed via a merger of previously independent facilities. It is the state's largest hospital. Charleston Area Medical Center is the prima ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

after battling

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

for several months.

Awards

Myers won an

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

for his role as the Stool Pigeon in the August Wilson play ''

King Hedley II ''King Hedley II'' is a play by American playwright August Wilson, the ninth in his ten-part series, '' The Pittsburgh Cycle''. The play ran on Broadway in 2001 and was revived Off-Broadway in 2007. Productions ''King Hedley II'' premiered at ...

''. He also won the Off-Broadway

AUDELCO AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City. AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv aw ...

Award for his role in the play ''Fat Tuesday''. In 2005 the Appalachian Education Initiative listed Myers as one of 50 "Outstanding Creative Artists" from the State of West Virginia and featured him in their coffee table book ''Art & Soul''.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Interview with Lou Myers
mosaec.com 1935 births 2013 deaths American male film actors American male television actors People from Cabin Creek, West Virginia Male actors from West Virginia 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors Deaths from pneumonia in West Virginia {{US-screen-actor-1930s-stub