Ronnie Eckstine
| Ronnie Eckstine | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Known for | Role in The Love-Ins |
Criminal charge |
Forgery Evasion of arrest |
| Parent(s) |
Billy Eckstine (stepfather) Carolle Drake (mother) Kenny Eckstine (brother) |
Ronnie Eckstine (born 1943)[1] is a former actor and the stepson of singer Billy Eckstine[2] by way of Billy's marriage to Ronnie's mother, Carolle Drake.[3] Ronnie played high school football at Birmingham High School, where he and his older brother Kenny were the only African American students.[4] Ronnie met singer Leslie Uggams in June 1964 while she was performing at the Flamingo Las Vegas and the two started dating.[5] Uggams announced her engagement to Eckstine the following month while she was performing in Australia.[1] Eckstine was then conscripted into military service,[6] and Uggams left him for Grahame Pratt, a European Australian man who she married in 1965.[7] Six months after he completed his military service, Eckstine made his acting debut in the 1967 film The Love-Ins.[8] In February 1984, Eckstine was arrested on charges of forgery and evasion of arrest, and he escaped from jail the following month by exchanging identification bracelets with another prisoner and leaving on that prisoner's bail.[2] Eckstine's family then issued a press release asking the Los Angeles Police Department to be discreet in their attempts to recapture him.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "TV's Leslie Uggams to Wed Billy Eckstine's Son". Jet. July 30, 1964. p. 57.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Billy Eckstine's Stepson Hunted by L.A. Police". Jet. March 19, 1984. p. 61.
- ↑ "Billy Eckstine Dies at 78: Helped to Launch Bebop". The Crisis. March 1993. p. 20.
- ↑ "Big Eckstine Family Shares Eleven-Room California Home". Ebony. July 1961. p. 48.
- ↑ "Leslie Uggams Says Eckstine's Son is 'No. 1'". Jet. August 27, 1964. p. 23.
- ↑ Sears, Art Jr. (May 20, 1965). "Drama Breakthrough Hovers for Singer who Acted at 8: Singer Sets Sights on a New Career". Jet. p. 60.
- ↑ Uggams, Leslie (May 1967). "Why I Married an Australian: Young Singer Tells of Her Marriage Across Color Line". Ebony. pp. 140–144.
- ↑ Robinson, Louie (June 29, 1967). "Ronnie Hopes to Portray New Image of Negro: Not Angry". Jet. p. 58.
- ↑ "Family Issues Pleas for Escapee Ronnie Eckstine". Jet. March 26, 1984. p. 62.