Godfrey Cambridge
| Godfrey Cambridge | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge February 26, 1933 New York, New York, United States |
| Died | November 29, 1976 (aged 43) Burbank, California, United States |
| Resting place |
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles Plot: Murmuring Trees, Block 544334°08′43″N 118°19′19″W / 34.14522°N 118.3219°W |
| Residence | Ridgefield, Connecticut |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Flushing High School (graduated in 3 years), Hofstra College (attended), City College of New York (attended) |
| Occupation | Actor, stand-up comedian |
| Notable work | Watermelon Man (1970), Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) |
| Home town |
Harlem, New York Sydney, Nova Scotia Queens, New York? |
| Weight | sometimes nearly 320 lb (150 kg) |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Ann Teer (1962–1965) Audriano Meyers (1972–1976) |
| Children | Stephanie, Gillian estimated DOB 1957–1963 |
| Parent(s) | Alexander and Sarah Cambridge |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium | Stage and screen |
| Years active | 1957–1976 |
| Notes | |
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles
Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge (February 26, 1933 – November 29, 1976) was an American stand-up comic and actor. Alongside Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, and Nipsey Russell, he was acclaimed by Time magazine in 1965 as "one of the country's four most celebrated Negro comedians."
Cambridge was born Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge in New York City on February 26, 1933, to Alexander and Sarah Cambridge, who were immigrants from British Guiana. His parents, dissatisfied with the New York Public School System, sent him to live with his grandparents in Sydney, Nova Scotia during his primary school years. When he was 13, Cambridge moved back to New York and attended Flushing High School in Flushing, Queens.
In 1949, Cambridge studied medicine at Hofstra College, which he attended for three years before dropping out to pursue a career in acting.
While pursuing an acting career, Cambridge supported himself with a variety of jobs, including "cab driver, bead-sorter, ambulance driver, gardener, judo instructor, and clerk for the New York City Housing Authority," as well as cleaning airplanes and making popcorn bunnies.
His first role was as a bartender in the off-Broadway play Take a Giant Step. He made his Broadway debut in the original production of Herman Wouk's 1957 play Nature's Way. Cambridge received a 1962 Tony Award nomination as part of the original cast of Purlie Victorious, a play written by and starring Ossie Davis; he was featured in an opening-night cast that also included Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Sorrell Booke, Roger C. Carmel, Helen Martin, and Beah Richards.
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