Cleavon Little- Biography

About Cleavon Little

Little's big break came with a turn in Peter Yates' "John and Mary" (1969), alongside Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow. In 1970, he starred on stage in Ossie Davis' musical "Purlie", for which he won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award, and appeared in Davis' landmark black independent film, "Cotton Comes to Harlem". Throughout his career, Little displayed a manic, live wire comic energy and a flamboyant, streetwise style of line delivery.

Career Milestones

1992

Final TV role for the HBO series "Tales From the Crypt" episode "None but the Lonely Heart"

Replaced the father on the Fox sitcom "True Colors"

Regular on the short-lived series, "Bagdad Cafe"

1990

Final film role in "Murder by Numbers"

Recurring character on the NBC series, "Dear John"

1986

Notable Broadway success as an elderly man in the comedy-drama "I'm Not Rappaport", opposite Judd Hirsch

1979

Played title role in the series "Mr. Dugan"

1972

TV series debut in "Temperatures Rising"

1971

TV movie debut with "The Homecoming", writer Earl Hamner Jr's forerunner to "The Waltons"

1971

Regular on "The David Frost Revue"

TV debut in an episode of "All in the Family"

1969

Film debut in "John and Mary"