Ernest Lee Thomas
Encyclopedia
Ernest Lee Thomas is an American
actor
. He was born in Gary, Indiana
. He is most famous for his role as aspiring writer Roger "Rog" Thomas on the 1970s ABC
sitcom What's Happening!!
, and its 1980s syndicated sequel, What's Happening Now!!
actor, appearing in the 1974 revival production of Love for Love and in the 1975 revival of The Member of the Wedding
. Both shows starred actress Glenn Close
. Shortly after he moved to LA to pursue a career as a TV/film actor. In the fall of 1975 he received a role on an episode of The Jeffersons
. It was during the taping of the show that he learned of an audition for the upcoming comedy sitcom What's Happening!!
, loosely based on the 1975 film Cooley High
. He eventually went on to win the role of Raj Thomas on the show, which aired from 1976 to 1979.
During the shows run, Thomas was involved in other acting film and TV projects including Baretta
, Roots
, The Brady Bunch Hour
and the film A Piece of the Action
starring Sidney Poitier
and Bill Cosby
. Though the series rated well, What's Happening!! was cancelled after its third season in the early spring of 1979.
. The renewed show aired from 1985 to 1988.
Ernest Thomas is also one of the stars of rocker/horror movie director Rob Zombie's upcoming 2012 film "The Lords of Salem" in which he plays a local town's radio DJ.
Since the show's cancellation Thomas has guest starred on a number of popular TV dramas and sitcoms including In the Heat of the Night
, (which co-starred his TV wife Anne-Marie Johnson
, from What's Happening Now!!), The Parent 'Hood
, Martin
, Soul Food, The Steve Harvey Show
, All About the Andersons
and more recently Just Jordan
. He has also appeared in a number of films including his most prominent film appearances in a supporting role in Malcolm X
and a cameo in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
. He later had a recurring role as funeral director, Mr. Omar, on the TV sitcom Everybody Hates Chris
. He has an eye condition called amblyopia
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. He was born in Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. He is most famous for his role as aspiring writer Roger "Rog" Thomas on the 1970s ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
sitcom 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...
, and its 1980s syndicated sequel, What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!! is an American television sitcom spinoff of What's Happening!!. It ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High...
Early career and What's Happening!!
Thomas began his professional acting career as a BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
actor, appearing in the 1974 revival production of Love for Love and in the 1975 revival of The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding
The Member of the Wedding is a 1946 novel by Southern writer Carson McCullers. It took McCullers five years to complete—though she interrupted the work for a few months to write the short novel The Ballad of the Sad Cafe....
. Both shows starred actress Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
. Shortly after he moved to LA to pursue a career as a TV/film actor. In the fall of 1975 he received a role on an episode of The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The 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...
. It was during the taping of the show that he learned of an audition for the upcoming comedy sitcom 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...
, loosely based on the 1975 film Cooley High
Cooley High
Cooley High is a 1975 American film based upon the real high school located on the near north side of Chicago produced and released by American International Pictures and written by Eric Monte...
. He eventually went on to win the role of Raj Thomas on the show, which aired from 1976 to 1979.
During the shows run, Thomas was involved in other acting film and TV projects including Baretta
Baretta
Baretta is an American detective television series which ran on ABC from 1975 to 1978. The show was a milder version of a successful 1973–74 ABC series, Toma, starring Tony Musante as chameleon-like, real-life New Jersey police officer David Toma...
, Roots
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
, The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour is an American variety television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in association with CBS Television Distribution, which aired on ABC between 1976 to 1977....
and the film A Piece of the Action
A Piece of the Action (film)
A Piece of the Action is a 1977 comedy crime film starring Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. Poitier also directed the film. This was the third film pairing of Poitier and Cosby following Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again, and Poiter's last acting role for more than 10 years, as he focused...
starring Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier
Sir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
and Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
. Though the series rated well, What's Happening!! was cancelled after its third season in the early spring of 1979.
What's Happening Now!! and later career
After a six year hiatus from TV and film acting, Ernest resumed his role as Roger Thomas in the sequel to What's Happening!!, titled What's Happening Now!!What's Happening Now!!
What's Happening Now!! is an American television sitcom spinoff of What's Happening!!. It ran in syndication from 1985 to 1988. Like the previous series, What's Happening Now!! is loosely based on the motion picture Cooley High...
. The renewed show aired from 1985 to 1988.
Ernest Thomas is also one of the stars of rocker/horror movie director Rob Zombie's upcoming 2012 film "The Lords of Salem" in which he plays a local town's radio DJ.
Since the show's cancellation Thomas has guest starred on a number of popular TV dramas and sitcoms including In the Heat of the Night
In 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...
, (which co-starred his TV wife Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson
Anne-Marie Johnson is an American actress and impressionist who has starred in film and on television. She is perhaps best known for her role as high school educator Althea Tibbs on the NBC/CBS television drama In the Heat of the Night. She is also known for her role as Nadine Hudson Thomas on...
, from What's Happening Now!!), The Parent 'Hood
The Parent 'Hood
The Parent 'Hood is an American sitcom that aired on The WB airing from January 18, 1995 to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas....
, Martin
Martin (TV series)
Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...
, Soul Food, The Steve Harvey Show
The Steve Harvey Show
The Steve Harvey Show is an American sitcom that aired for six seasons from August 25, 1996 to February 17, 2002 on The WB Television Network. It was created by Winifred Hervey and directed by Stan Lathan.-Synopsis:...
, All About the Andersons
All About the Andersons
All About the Andersons is a situation comedy that originally aired on The WB Television Network from September 12, 2003 to February 12, 2004. It lasted one season before being canceled.-Premise:...
and more recently Just Jordan
Just Jordan
Just Jordan is an American television sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon as a part of the network's TEENick lineup. The series debuted on January 7, 2007 and was cancelled on April 5, 2008 with 29 episodes produced.-Premise:...
. He has also appeared in a number of films including his most prominent film appearances in a supporting role in Malcolm X
Malcolm X (film)
Malcolm X is a 1992 biographical motion picture about the Muslim-American figure Malcolm X . It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as the titular character. It co-stars Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo...
and a cameo in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring David Spade and Mary McCormack.- Plot :...
. He later had a recurring role as funeral director, Mr. Omar, on the TV sitcom Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
. He has an eye condition called amblyopia
Amblyopia
Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is a disorder of the visual system that is characterized by a vision deficiency in an eye that is otherwise physically normal, or out of proportion to associated structural abnormalities of the eye...
.