Roger E. Mosley
Encyclopedia
Roger Earl Mosley is an American
actor
best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the long running television series, Magnum, P.I.
, which starred Tom Selleck
as the title character.
. He grew up in the Imperial Courts project with his mother Eloise Harris in Watts
, one of the most dangerous parts of the inner city. In 1974, he founded the Watts Repertory Company.
starring turn as the title character in Leadbelly
, directed by Gordon Parks
. He has guest starred on shows such as Night Court
, Starsky and Hutch
, Kojak
, The Rockford Files
, Baretta
, and Sanford and Son
; he also had a role in Roots: The Next Generation
. He also made a memorable appearance in the 1973 film The Mack
, as the militant brother of the main character Goldie, and played officer Roy Cole alongside Kurt Russell
and Ray Liotta
in Unlawful Entry
(1992).
Most recently he appeared in season five of Las Vegas
as the billionaire friend of Montecito owner AJ Cooper (Tom Selleck). There is a vague homage to his Magnum P.I. days as his character 'Roger' is worth more than $2bn and owns a fleet of jets having started with a single helicopter in Hawaii.
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...
best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin on the long running television series, Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
, which starred Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
as the title character.
Early life
Mosley was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He grew up in the Imperial Courts project with his mother Eloise Harris in Watts
Watts, Los Angeles, California
Watts is a mostly residential neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.-History:The area now known as Watts is located on the Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant...
, one of the most dangerous parts of the inner city. In 1974, he founded the Watts Repertory Company.
Career
Mosley's most prominent film role to date was his 19761976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
starring turn as the title character in Leadbelly
Leadbelly (film)
Leadbelly is a 1976 film chronicling the life of folk singer Huddie William Ledbetter . The film was directed by Gordon Parks, and starred Roger E. Mosley in the title role...
, directed by Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks
Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks was a groundbreaking American photographer, musician, poet, novelist, journalist, activist and film director...
. He has guest starred on shows such as Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, 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...
, and Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford 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....
; he also had a role in Roots: The Next Generation
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...
. He also made a memorable appearance in the 1973 film The Mack
The Mack
The Mack is a 1973 blaxploitation film starring Max Julien and Richard Pryor. Although the movie was produced during the era of such blaxploitation movies as Dolemite, its producers do not label it a true blaxploitation picture...
, as the militant brother of the main character Goldie, and played officer Roy Cole alongside Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
and Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta
[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
in Unlawful Entry
Unlawful Entry (film)
Unlawful Entry is a 1992 American thriller film directed by Jonathan Kaplan starring Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta and Madeleine Stowe. Involving a couple who befriend a lonely policeman, only for him to develop a fixation on the wife .Ray Liotta was nominated for an MTV Movie Award in 1993 for his...
(1992).
Most recently he appeared in season five of Las Vegas
Las Vegas (TV series)
Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
as the billionaire friend of Montecito owner AJ Cooper (Tom Selleck). There is a vague homage to his Magnum P.I. days as his character 'Roger' is worth more than $2bn and owns a fleet of jets having started with a single helicopter in Hawaii.