Ron O'Neal

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Ron O'Neal
Born (1937-09-01)September 1, 1937
Utica, New York, U.S.
Died January 14, 2004(2004-01-14) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, Director, Writer
Years active 1970–2002

Ron O'Neal (September 1, 1937 – January 14, 2004) was an American actor, director and screenwriter, He is remembered for his role as Youngblood Priest in the blaxploitation film Super Fly and its sequel Super Fly T.N.T..

Life and career

Ron O'Neal grew up in a working-class neighborhood of Cleveland, the son of a former jazz musician who now earned his living as a factory worker; his father died when he was 16 years old. Only six months later his brother, who worked as a truck driver, was killed in an accident. Following these tragedies his mother found a job in a hospital in order to sustain the family. He graduated from Glenville High School, then attended Ohio State University, and there became interested in acting after seeing the play Finian's Rainbow. He joined the Karamu House company in Cleveland, Ohio, working with the oldest African-American theatre company in the US from 1957 until 1964, during which period he appeared in plays such as Kiss Me, Kate, A Streetcar Named Desire, and A Raisin in the Sun, working all the time as a housepainter for a living. In 1964, he went to New York, teaching acting classes at the Harlem Youth Arts Program and appearing in Off-Broadway plays.

In 1969, his theatrical breakthrough came in the Broadway play Ceremonies in Dark Old Men. In 1970, appearing in Charles Gordone's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, No Place to Be Somebody he garnered even more attention, winning an Obie Award and several other prizes. From there he moved on to cinema with two minor roles in Move (1970) and The Organization (1971), after which he was contacted by a friend from Cleveland, screenwriter Phillip Fenty, who suggested he star in an all-black film about a drug dealer. Although shot on a meager budget this film, Super Fly, went on to become a major hit at the box office.

This success was followed by the sequel, Super Fly T.N.T. (1973), in which he reprised his role as Youngblood Priest and directed, yet it turned out to be a failure. After that, roles offered to him frequently were unfortunately limited to that of stereotypical characters such as pimp or drug dealer. In 1975 he returned to Broadway, starring in All Over Town under the direction of Dustin Hoffman and he also appeared in Shakespeare plays during the 1970s, including Othello, Macbeth, and The Taming of the Shrew.

During those years film roles that went beyond stock characters were few and far between, notable exceptions being his role in Brothers (1977), in the TV movie "Brave New World (1980 film), and in the TV miniseries The Sophisticated Gents (1981). He had a number of TV guest appearances, frequently playing a detective. In 1996 he appeared in the Blaxploitation reunion film Original Gangstas.[1][2]

Personal life

Ron O'Neal was first married to Carol Tillery Banks, from November 1973 until 1980 (divorced), and then to Audrey Pool, until his death in 2004.

Death

O'Neal died on January 14, 2004 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 66 in Los Angeles, California on the same day Super Fly was released on DVD in the US.[3]

Filmography

Actor

Director/writer

References

  1. ↑ biography at answers.com
  2. ↑ biography at IMBD.com
  3. ↑ McLellan, Dennis (January 16, 2004). "Ron O'Neal, 66; Star of Blaxploitation Hit 'Superfly'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-29. 
  4. ↑ "Ron O'Neal, 66, Actor Who Starred In 'Superfly' Films". The New York Times. January 17, 2004. Retrieved 2011-01-31. 

External links

Authority control
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