Ralph Wilcox (actor)
Encyclopedia
Ralph Wilcox is an African American
actor born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
who has appeared in movies and television shows dating back to the 70's. Some of his most memorable roles include "Jammin' Jim" Jenkins on the Emerald Cove segments of The Mickey Mouse Club, Mason Freeman in seaQuest 2032 and Mugambi in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures
. He recently wrote, directed, and produced The Lena Baker Story
, a film that chronicled the life of Lena Baker
, a 43 year old mother of 3 who was sent to the electric chair
in Georgia
. He played the role of Uncle Henry in the original Broadway
production of The Wiz
.
Director, Writer and Producer
on 2 other occasions, first in Palmetto
and in an episode of Sheena
called "Sanctuary".
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
actor born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
who has appeared in movies and television shows dating back to the 70's. Some of his most memorable roles include "Jammin' Jim" Jenkins on the Emerald Cove segments of The Mickey Mouse Club, Mason Freeman in seaQuest 2032 and Mugambi in Tarzan: The Epic Adventures
Tarzan: The Epic Adventures
Tarzan: The Epic Adventures is a syndicated series that aired for one season . It focuses on the character of Tarzan in his early years, after his first exposure to civilization, but before his marriage to Jane Porter...
. He recently wrote, directed, and produced The Lena Baker Story
The Lena Baker Story
Hope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story is a 2008 film adaptation of the book by Lela Bond Phillips that chronicles the life and death of Lena Baker. It was written for the screen and directed by Ralph Wilcox. It was the sold out opening night premiere film for the 2008 Atlanta Film Festival...
, a film that chronicled the life of Lena Baker
Lena Baker
Lena Baker was an African American maid who was executed for murder by the State of Georgia in 1945 for killing her employer, Ernest Knight, 67, in 1944. At her trial she claimed that he had imprisoned and threatened to shoot her should she attempt to leave, whereupon she took his gun and shot him...
, a 43 year old mother of 3 who was sent to the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. He played the role of Uncle Henry in the original Broadway
Broadway 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...
production of The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
.
Partial filmography
Actor- Gordon's WarGordon's WarGordon's War is a 1973 action film written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis. It stars Paul Winfield as Gordon Hudson.-Synopsis:...
(1973) .... Black hit man - Crazy Joe (1974) .... Sam
- MaudeMaude (TV series)Maude was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 12, 1972 until April 22, 1978.Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with...
(TV) (The Runaway) (1974).... Hinkley - The Super CopsThe Super CopsThe Super Cops is a 1974 film starring Ron Leibman and David Selby, directed by Gordon Parks. The film is based on the book The Super Cops: The True Story Of The Cops Called Batman and Robin by L.H. Whittemore...
(1974) .... John Hayes - ClaudineClaudine (film)Claudine is a 1974 American film produced by Third World Films and released to theatres by 20th Century Fox. Starring James Earl Jones, Diahann Carroll, and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Claudine was written by Lester Pine and Tina Pine, and directed by John Berry...
(1974) .... Young Brother - Big Eddie (TV) (1975) (Main Character) .... Raymond McKay
- The River NigerThe River NigerThe River Niger is a play by American playwright, Joseph A. Walker, first performed by New York City's Negro Ensemble Company off-Broadway in 1972. The production made its Broadway debut with a transfer to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 27 March 1973 for a run of 162 performances.-Characters :*...
(1976) .... Al - 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...
(1977) .... Robert - Busting LooseBusting LooseBusting Loose is the sixth album by soul singer, Peggy Scott-Adams. The album peaked at #12 on the Top Blues Albums chart. Includes the hit singles, "If You Wanna Hear Me Holler, Lick Me Up Some Dollars" and "See You Next Weekend" which was co-written by Scott-Adams.-Track listings:* 1. "If You...
(TV) (1977) (Main Character) .... Raymond St. Williams - The WizThe Wiz (film)The Wiz is a 1978 musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical...
(1978) .... Uncle Henry / Crow / Field Mouse / Lord High Underling - 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...
(TV) (2 episodes) (1976–1978).... Allan - Buffalo Soldiers (TV) (1979) .... Oakley
- More American GraffitiMore American GraffitiMore American Graffiti is the 1979 sequel film to George Lucas's hit film American Graffiti. Whereas the first film followed a group of friends during the summer evening before they set off for college, this film shows us where the characters from the first film end up a few years later.Most of the...
(1979) .... Felix - One in a MillionOne in a Million (US TV series)One In A Million is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC for one season in 1980. The show was developed as a starring vehicle for comedienne Shirley Hemphill after the success of What's Happening!! in which she played a supporting role...
(TV) (1980) (Main Character) .... Duke - 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....
(TV) (2 episodes) (1978–1981) .... Jason Davis - MegaforceMegaforceMegaforce is an action film made in 1982 directed by former stuntman Hal Needham. The film starred Barry Bostwick, Persis Khambatta, Michael Beck, Edward Mulhare, Evan C...
(1982) .... Zac - Off the Wall (1983) .... Johnny Hammer
- Columbo: Columbo Cries Wolf (TV) (1990) .... Chief
- White Lie (TV) (1991) .... Len Madison Sr.
- Stompin' at the SavoyStompin' at the Savoy"Stompin' at the Savoy" is a 1934 jazz standard composed by Edgar Sampson. It is named after the Savoy Ballroom.Although the song is credited to Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, and Edgar Sampson, and the lyrics by Andy Razaf, in reality the music was written and arranged for Chick Webb's band by...
(TV) (1992) .... Herman - Emerald Cove .... James "Jammin' Jim" Jenkins
- Cop and a Half (1993) .... Det. Matt McPhail
- China MoonChina MoonChina Moon is a 1994 neo-noir written by Roy Carlson, directed by John Bailey, and starring Ed Harris and Madeleine Stowe.-Plot:The film opens as detectives Kyle Bodine and Lamar Dickey investigate a murder scene...
(1994) .... Ballistic Technician - Fortune Hunter (TV) (1994) .... President Savimbe
- MatlockMatlock (TV series)Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
(TV) (4 episodes) (1993–1995) - Saved by the LightSaved by the LightSaved by the Light is a book by Dannion Brinkley describing his near-death experience . Brinkley was struck by lightning and was clinically dead for approximately twenty-eight minutes...
(TV) (1995) .... Dr. Tomasson - seaQuest DSVSeaQuest DSVseaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032. Set in "the near future", seaQuest mixes high drama with realistic scientific fiction...
(TV) (1995/1996) (Series Regular) .... Mason Freeman - Last DanceLast Dance (film)Last Dance is a 1996 film starring Sharon Stone, Rob Morrow, Randy Quaid and Peter Gallagher. The prison where the film was shot is in Ridgeland, South Carolina.-Plot:...
(1996) .... Warden Rice - Tarzan: The Epic AdventuresTarzan: The Epic AdventuresTarzan: The Epic Adventures is a syndicated series that aired for one season . It focuses on the character of Tarzan in his early years, after his first exposure to civilization, but before his marriage to Jane Porter...
(TV) (1996).... Mugambi - A Different Kind of Christmas (TV) (1996) .... Doctor Nichols
- PalmettoPalmetto (film)Palmetto is a 1998 neo-noir film directed by Volker Schlöndorff with a screenplay by E. Max Frye. It is based on the novel Just Another Sucker by James Hadley Chase.-Plot summary:...
(1998) .... Judge - From the Earth to the Moon (TV mini-series) (1998) .... V.I.P.
- The Last Marshal (1999) .... Lukowski
- SheenaSheena (TV series)Sheena is an American action-adventure/fantasy television series which was produced for first-run syndication from 2000 to 2002.Based upon the comic book character Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, which previously spawned a popular 1950s TV series of the same title, the 2000s series updated the...
(TV) (Sanctuary) (2001)
Director, Writer and Producer
- The Lena Baker StoryThe Lena Baker StoryHope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story is a 2008 film adaptation of the book by Lela Bond Phillips that chronicles the life and death of Lena Baker. It was written for the screen and directed by Ralph Wilcox. It was the sold out opening night premiere film for the 2008 Atlanta Film Festival...
(2008)
Trivia
Appeared alongside fellow seaQuest actor Karen FractionKaren Fraction
Karen Fraction was an American actress, dancer, and model from Flint, Michigan. She is probably best remembered as Dr...
on 2 other occasions, first in Palmetto
Palmetto (film)
Palmetto is a 1998 neo-noir film directed by Volker Schlöndorff with a screenplay by E. Max Frye. It is based on the novel Just Another Sucker by James Hadley Chase.-Plot summary:...
and in an episode of Sheena
Sheena (TV series)
Sheena is an American action-adventure/fantasy television series which was produced for first-run syndication from 2000 to 2002.Based upon the comic book character Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, which previously spawned a popular 1950s TV series of the same title, the 2000s series updated the...
called "Sanctuary".
External links
- Ralph Wilcox at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...