Bill Henderson (actor)
Encyclopedia
William Randall "Bill" Henderson (born March 19, 1926) is an American
jazz
vocalist and actor
in television
and film
.
Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Henderson's acting credits have been numerous. Beginning in the mid-1970s, and continuing to this day, he has frequently appeared on television in supporting, usually one-time roles. His film roles have followed a similar trend — minor and supporting roles.
Henderson began his professional music career in 1952, performing in Chicago with Ramsey Lewis
, and began recording as a leader after a move to New York in 1958. He has since recorded and performed with artists such as Oscar Peterson
, Jimmy Smith
, Count Basie
, Yusef Lateef
, Booker Little
, and Eddie Harris
. Henderson also recorded his own vocal tracks as "King Blues" in the 1983 comedy Get Crazy
. In 1999, Henderson made a guest vocal appearance on Charlie Haden
's album The Art of the Song
. Still in prime form, Henderson continues to sing regularly in and around the Los Angeles area.
Compilations:
45's:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
vocalist and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
.
Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Henderson's acting credits have been numerous. Beginning in the mid-1970s, and continuing to this day, he has frequently appeared on television in supporting, usually one-time roles. His film roles have followed a similar trend — minor and supporting roles.
Henderson began his professional music career in 1952, performing in Chicago with Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
, and began recording as a leader after a move to New York in 1958. He has since recorded and performed with artists such as Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith (musician)
Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Yusef Lateef
Yusef Lateef
Dr. Yusef Lateef is an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.Although Lateef's main instruments are the tenor saxophone and flute, he is known for...
, Booker Little
Booker Little
Booker Little, Jr was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Despite his premature death from kidney failure at the age of 23, Little made an important contribution to jazz. Stylistically, his sound is rooted in the playing of Clifford Brown, featuring crisp articulation, a burnished...
, and Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
. Henderson also recorded his own vocal tracks as "King Blues" in the 1983 comedy Get Crazy
Get Crazy
Get Crazy is a 1983 film directed by Allan Arkush and starring Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield, Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, and Ed Begley, Jr.-Premise:...
. In 1999, Henderson made a guest vocal appearance on Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
's album The Art of the Song
The Art of the Song
The Art of the Song is an album by American jazz bassist Charlie Haden and Charlie Haden's Quartet West, released in 1999. It reached number ten on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.Quartet West was formed in 1986...
. Still in prime form, Henderson continues to sing regularly in and around the Los Angeles area.
Discography
- Bill Henderson Sings (W/ Ramsey LewisRamsey LewisRamsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
Trio & Wynton Kelly Sextet arr. By Benny Golson and Ernie Wilkins, Vee-Jay, 1958) - Bill Henderson, Please Send Me Someone to Love (Eddie HarrisEddie HarrisEddie Harris was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ...
, Joe Diorio, Rail Wilson, Vee-Jay, 1960) - Bill Henderson, Self Titled (W/ Eddie HigginsEddie HigginsEdward Haydn Higgins was a jazz pianist, composer and orchestrator. -Biography:Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Higgins initially studied privately with his mother. He started his professional career in Chicago, Illinois, while studying at the Northwestern University School of Music...
Trio, Tommy Fiannagan Quartet, Thad Jones Big Band, Jimmy Jones Strings, Vee-Jay, 1961) - Bill Henderson with the Oscar Peterson Trio (Piano Oscar PetersonOscar PetersonOscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Ed Thigpen, Verve, 1963) - Bill Henderson, When My Dreamboat Comes Home (Joyce CollinsJoyce CollinsJoyce Collins was a jazz pianist, singer and educator. Born 5 May 1930, Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA; died 2010.Collins began playing piano professionally at the age of 15 while still attending Reno High School in Nevada...
(p), Dave Mackay(ep), Steve LaSpina(b), Jerry Coleman(d), Verve, 1965) - Bill Henderson Live in concert with the Count BasieCount BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
Band (Monad, 1965) - Bill Henderson, Live at the Times (Joyce CollinsJoyce CollinsJoyce Collins was a jazz pianist, singer and educator. Born 5 May 1930, Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA; died 2010.Collins began playing piano professionally at the age of 15 while still attending Reno High School in Nevada...
& Dave Mackay, Discovery, 1975) - Bill Henderson Live, Joey Revisited (Steve LaSpina's, Dave Mackay, Joyce CollinsJoyce CollinsJoyce Collins was a jazz pianist, singer and educator. Born 5 May 1930, Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA; died 2010.Collins began playing piano professionally at the age of 15 while still attending Reno High School in Nevada...
, Jerry Coleman, Monad, 1976) - Bill Henderson, Street of Dreams (Joyce CollinsJoyce CollinsJoyce Collins was a jazz pianist, singer and educator. Born 5 May 1930, Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA; died 2010.Collins began playing piano professionally at the age of 15 while still attending Reno High School in Nevada...
& Dave Mackay, Discovery, 1979) - Bill Henderson, Something's Gotta Give (Dave Mackay, Jim Hughart, Jimmie Smith, Joey Baron, Joyce CollinsJoyce CollinsJoyce Collins was a jazz pianist, singer and educator. Born 5 May 1930, Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA; died 2010.Collins began playing piano professionally at the age of 15 while still attending Reno High School in Nevada...
, Pete Christlieb, Discovery, 1979) - Bill Henderson, A Tribute to Johnny Mercer (W/ Joyce CollinsJoyce CollinsJoyce Collins was a jazz pianist, singer and educator. Born 5 May 1930, Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA; died 2010.Collins began playing piano professionally at the age of 15 while still attending Reno High School in Nevada...
& Dave Mackay, Discovery, 1981) - Nancy Wilson Presents Great Jazz Night - Red Hot & Cool II( featuring Bill Henderson, LaserDisc 1990)
- White Men Can’t Jump (Soundtrack, 20th Century Fox, 1992)
- Charlie Haden Quartet West, The Art of The Song (Shirley Horn, Bill Henderson, with the Charlie Haden Quartet West, Polygram, 1999)
- Mike Melvoin with Charlie Haden featuring Bill Henderson, The Capital Sessions(2000 Naim Audio Ltd)
- Bill Henderson, Live at the Kennedy Center (Ed Vodicka Trio, WebOnlyJazz, 2006)
- Bill Henderson Live at the Vic, Beautiful Memory (Tateng Katindig(p), Chris Conner(b), Roy McCurdyRoy McCurdyRoy McCurdy, born November 28, 1936 in Rochester, New York, is a jazz drummer.Before joining Cannonball Adderley's Quintet in 1965 and staying with the band until Adderley's death in 1975, he had played with Chuck and Gap Mangione in the Jazz Brothers , as well as with Bobby Timmons, Betty Carter...
(d), Ahuh Productions, 2008)
Compilations:
- Bill Henderson, His complete Vee Jay Recordings Volume 1 (Vee Jay, 1993)
- Bill Henderson, His complete Vee Jay Recordings Volume 2 (Vee Jay, 2000)
45's:
- Bill Henderson/Horace Silver, Señor Blues/Tippin' (Blue Note, 1958)
- Bill Henderson/Jimmy Smith, Ain't No Use /Angel Eyes (Blue Note, 1958) released on CD reissue of Softly as a Summer BreezeSoftly as a Summer BreezeSoftly as a Summer Breeze is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1958 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1965...
- Bill Henderson/Jimmy Smith, Ain't That Love/Willow Weep For Me (Blue Note 1958) released on CD reissue of Softly as a Summer BreezeSoftly as a Summer BreezeSoftly as a Summer Breeze is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1958 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1965...
- Bill Henderson, Sleepy/It Never Entered My Mind (Vee Jay, 1960)
- Bill Henderson, Bad Luck / Bye Bye Blackbird (Vee Jay, 1960)
- Bill Henderson, Sweet Pumpkin/ Joey, Joey, Joey (Vee Jay, 1960)
- Bill Henderson, Sweet Georgia Brown/My How The Time Goes By(Vee Jay, 1961)
- Bill Henderson, When My dream Boat Comes Home/Who Can I Turn To(Verve, 1964)
- Bill Henderson, Lay Down Your Weary Tune /If I Could Be With You(Verve, 1964)
- Bill Henderson, Bend Over Backwards/What are you doing the rest of your life(WB, 1970)
- Bill Henderson, Send in the Clowns/Send in the Clowns (from Live at the Times, side 1-45, side 2-33 1/3, Classic Discovery JP, 1975)
Filmography
- Trouble ManTrouble ManTrouble Man is a 1972 blaxploitation film produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film stars Robert Hooks as "Mr. T.", a hard-edged private detective who tends to take justice into his own hands...
(1972) – Jimmy, Pool Room Owner - Silver Streak (1976) – Red Cap
- Mother, Jugs & SpeedMother, Jugs & SpeedMother, Jugs & Speed is a 1976 black comedy film directed by Peter Yates. It stars Bill Cosby , Raquel Welch , Harvey Keitel , and Larry Hagman as employees of an independent ambulance service trying to survive in Los Angeles.-Plot:...
(1976) – Charles Taylor - Continental DivideContinental Divide (film)Continental Divide is a 1981 American romantic comedy. It was directed by Michael Apted from an original screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and produced by Steven Spielberg and stars John Belushi and Blair Brown; the latter was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.An attempt was made during...
(1981) – Train Conductor - Get CrazyGet CrazyGet Crazy is a 1983 film directed by Allan Arkush and starring Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield, Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, and Ed Begley, Jr.-Premise:...
(1983) – King Blues - The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th DimensionThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th DimensionThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension!, often shortened to Buckaroo Banzai, is an American spoof science fiction film that was released in 1984. It was directed and produced by W. D. Richter, and concerns the efforts of the multi-talented Dr...
(1984) – Casper Lindley - ClueClue (film)Clue is a 1985 comedy mystery film based on the board game of the same name . The film is a murder mystery set in a Gothic Revival mansion, and is styled after Murder by Death and other various murder/dinner parties of mystery...
(1985) – The Cop - FletchFletch (film)Fletch is a 1985 comedy film about a wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter, Irwin M. Fletcher , who writes under the name of Jane Doe...
(1985) – Speaker - WisdomWisdom (film)Wisdom is a 1986 American crime film. It was written by its star, Emilio Estevez, who co-directed with executive producer Robert Wise. The film also stars Demi Moore, along with Tom Skeritt and Veronica Cartwright as Estevez's parents. Emilio dedicated the film to the memory of his friend Henry...
(1986) – Theo - Murphy's LawMurphy's Law (film)Murphy's Law is a thriller film directed by J. Lee Thompson from a screenplay by Gail Morgan Hickman. It was released by Cannon Films to the United States on April 18, 1986. The film stars Charles Bronson and Kathleen Wilhoite in lead roles with a supporting cast that includes Carrie Snodgress,...
(1986) – Ben Wilcove - How I Got Into CollegeHow I Got Into CollegeHow I Got Into College is a 1989 romantic comedy film directed by Savage Steve Holland.-Plot:The story follows a girl named Jessica and her attempt to get into Ramsey College, a fictional college in Pennsylvania, and Marlon, a boy who tries to get into Ramsey to pursue Jessica, whom he is in love...
(1989) – Detroit High School Coach - No Holds Barred (1989) – Charlie
- CousinsCousins (film)Cousins is a 1989 remake of a French film , with Ted Danson, Isabella Rossellini, Sean Young, William Petersen, Lloyd Bridges, and Keith Coogan.-Plot summary:...
(1989) – Valhalla Band - City SlickersCity SlickersCity Slickers is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Helen Slater and Jack Palance. Palance won an Academy Award for his performance....
(1991) – Dr. Ben Jessup - White Men Can't JumpWhite Men Can't JumpWhite Men Can't Jump is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes as streetball hustlers, co-starring Rosie Perez...
(1992) – Member of the Venice Beach Boys - MaverickMaverick (film)Maverick is a 1994 Western comedy film based on the 1950s television series of the same name, created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by William Goldman and features Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, as well as several cameo appearances...
(1994) – Mr. Hightower, Riverboat Poker Player - Ghosts of MississippiGhosts of MississippiGhosts of Mississippi is a 1996 American drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, and James Woods. The plot is based on the true story of the 1994 trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the white supremacist accused of the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist...
(1996) – Minister - Hoodlum (1997) – Mr. Redmond
- Conspiracy TheoryConspiracy Theory (film)Conspiracy Theory is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Richard Donner.The original screenplay by Brian Helgeland centers on an eccentric taxi driver who believes many world events are triggered by government conspiracies, and the U.S...
(1997) – Hospital Security - Lethal Weapon 4Lethal Weapon 4Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American action film directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and Jet Li. It is the third sequel in the Lethal Weapon series of films. -Plot:...
(1998) – Angry Patient - Trippin'Trippin' (film)Trippin' is a 1999 comedy film starring Deon Richmond, Maia Campbell, Donald Faison, and Guy Torry. The film also served as one of Anthony Anderson's earliest film roles. It was directed by David Raynr. The film is airing on Bounce TV at this very moment....
(1999) – Gramps Reed - The AlibiThe AlibiThe Alibi is a 2006 American film written by Noah Hawley and directed by Matt Checkowski and Kurt Mattila. The film was released to DVD on December 5, 2006 under the title Lies and Alibis.-Plot:...
(2006) – Counterman
Television appearances
- Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
- Sanford and SonSanford and SonSanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
- The JeffersonsThe JeffersonsThe Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
- What's Happening!!What's Happening!!What's Happening!! is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976 to April 28, 1979. The show premiered as a summer series. With good ratings and reviews, and after the failure of several other shows on the network, What's Happening!! returned in November 1976 as a weekly...
- Good TimesGood TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
- The Incredible Hulk
- Harry O
- Ad LibAd Lib (TV series)"Ad Lib" was a TV program hosted by composer and pianist Phil Moore and produced by Cinema Arts Productions Inc. that aired in 1981. Ad Lib featured noted jazz artists performing for the video camera while recording their musical albums at various recording studios. The series was repeated in 1982...
- The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life (TV series)The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
- Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
- MacGyverMacGyverMacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
- BensonBenson (TV series)Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap ; however, Benson discarded the...
- In the Heat of the NightIn the Heat of the Night (TV series)In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
- NYPD BlueNYPD BlueNYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
- Mad About YouMad About YouMad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
- ERER (TV series)ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
- Malcolm & EddieMalcolm & EddieMalcolm & Eddie is an American television sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996 on the UPN Network, and ran for four seasons. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. This show was canceled after its fourth season, and aired its final episode on May 22, 2000...
- 7th Heaven7th Heaven7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
- Cold Case
- My Name Is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...