Howard Rollins
| Howard Rollins | |
|---|---|
Rollins in Ragtime, 1981.
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| Born |
Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. October 17, 1950 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | December 8, 1996 (aged 46) New York, New York, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Complications from lymphoma |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, Baltimore |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Howard Rollins, Jr. Howard E. Rollins Howard E. Rollins, Jr. |
| Alma mater | Towson State University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–1996 |
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, George Haley in the 1979 movie Roots, Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the 1981 film Ragtime, Captain Davenport in the 1984 film A Soldier's Story, and as Virgil Tibbs on the crime drama for NBC/CBS, In the Heat of the Night.
Rollins was the youngest of four children born to Ruth and Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Sr. in Baltimore, Maryland. His mother was a domestic worker while his father was a steelworker. Rollins, Sr. died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 1980. Upon his high school graduation, Rollins studied theater at Towson University.
In 1970, Rollins left college early to play the role of "Slick" in the PBS soap opera Our Street. In 1974, he moved to New York City where he went on to appear in the Broadway productions of We Interrupt This Program..., in 1975, The Mighty Gents in 1978, and G. R. Point in 1979. He also appeared in the miniseries King and Roots: The Next Generations.
In 1981, Rollins made his film debut in the Dino De Laurentiis/Miloš Forman motion picture, Ragtime. His performance in the film earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination. He also earned a Golden Globe Award nomination 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 for his role on Another World. In 1984, Rollins starred in director Norman Jewison'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 film 1967 film of the same name.
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