Robin Harris
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| Robin Harris | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robin Hughes Harris |
| Born | July 30, 1953 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | March 18, 1990 (aged 36) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Years active | 1980–1990 |
Robin Hughes Harris (August 30, 1953 – March 18, 1990) was an American comedian and actor, best known for his recurring comic sketch about Bébé's Kids.
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[edit] Childhood
Born in Chicago, Illinois, his father, Earl, was a welder and his mother, Mattie, was a factory seamstress.[1] In 1961, the family moved to Los Angeles where he attended Manual Arts High School. A track star, Harris received a scholarship and attended Ottawa University in Kansas. During this time, he began to hone his craft of comedy. He worked for Hughes Aircraft, a rental car company, and Security Pacific Bank to pay his bills. In 1980, he debuted at Los Angeles’ Comedy Store with little response.
[edit] Career
1985 was his year; as the master of ceremonies at the Comedy Act Theater, his “old school” brand of humor began to gain him a mainstream following. A large-eyed stand-up churlish brand of humor and quick put-downs were his trademark. Harris made a promising feature debut playing a no-nonsense bartender in the feature film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988). Harris performed in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989). As "Sweet Dick Willie," Harris served as part of the neighborhood "Greek chorus" that commented on the events of an increasingly tense day. Harris was Pop, the no-nonsense, quick-witted father of Kid in House Party (1990). He followed up later that year with a small turn as a jazz club MC in Mo' Better Blues. He also had a role in Eddie Murphy's Harlem Nights (1989).
Harris was best friends with Robert Townsend and Spike Lee.
[edit] Bébé's Kids
In Harris' "Bébé's Kids" routines, Harris' girlfriend Jamika would insist that he take her friend Bébé's three ill-behaved children with them on a date, as she continually agreed to babysit them. The children would regularly make a fool out of and/or annoy Harris. "We Bébé's kids," they would proclaim, "we don't die...we multiply."
The Hudlin Brothers had intended to make a feature film based upon the "Bébé's Kids" sketches, but Harris died of sleep apnea while the film was in pre-production. Bébé's Kids instead became an animated feature—the first ever to feature an all-Black main cast—directed by Bruce W. Smith and featuring the voices of Faizon Love (as Harris), Vanessa Bell Calloway, Marques Houston, Nell Carter, and Tone-Loc.
[edit] Death
Early in 1990, Harris was keeping a very tight schedule, which demanded much travel and long hours. He had respiratory problems and often nodded off during the day. Arriving in his hometown, Chicago, for an appearance at the Regal Theater, he failed to meet friends the following day. His brother found him dead at his hotel as he had died in his sleep due to a heart attack. He was only 36 years old. His wife was three months pregnant with his only son at the time of his death.
He had a posthumous DVD released by Reginald Hudlin.
