Albert Popwell
Albert Popwell | |
---|---|
Albert Popwell as the bank robber in Dirty Harry | |
Born |
New York City, New York, United States | July 15, 1926
Died |
April 9, 1999 72)[1] Los Angeles, California, United States | (aged
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1943–1995 |
Albert Popwell (July 15, 1926 – April 9, 1999) was an African American stage, television and film actor with a career spanning six decades.[1]
Born in New York City, Popwell started as a professional dancer before taking up a career in acting. Popwell made his professional debut on Broadway at age 16 in The Pirate.[1]
Career
Popwell was featured on many television series,[2] but is perhaps best known for his appearances in films opposite Clint Eastwood, whom he acted with in five films, starting with Coogan's Bluff (film)[1] and in the first four films of the Dirty Harry series.[1] Popwell was a wounded bank robber at the receiving end of Eastwood's "Do you feel lucky?" monologue from Dirty Harry.[3] Popwell was a murderous pimp in Magnum Force,[2] appeared as Big Ed Mustapha in the The Enforcer[2] and as Harry's detective partner Horace King in Sudden Impact.[1] He did not appear in the last film in the series, The Dead Pool, due to a scheduling conflict.
His final film role was opposite Sharon Stone in Scissors.[4] He died eight years later, at age 72, from complications following open heart surgery.[1]
Selected filmography
With Clint Eastwood
- Coogan's Bluff (1968) - Wonderful Digby
- Dirty Harry (1971) - Bank Robber (uncredited)
- Magnum Force (1973) - Pimp
- The Enforcer (1976) - Mustapha
- Sudden Impact (1983) - Horace King
Other appearances
- Journey to Shiloh (1968) - Samuel
- The Peace Killers (1971) - Blackjack
- Search (1972) - Griffin
- Glass Houses (1972)
- Fuzz (1972) - Lewis
- Blume in Love (1973) - Party Guest (uncredited)
- Cleopatra Jones (1973) - Matthew Johnson
- Charley Varrick (1973) - Percy Randolph
- Sleeper (1973) - Reprogramming Scientist (uncredited)
- The Single Girls (1974) - Morris
- Lost in the Stars (1974)
- Emergency! (episode: "905-Wild", failed pilot for spin-off, 1975) - Ofcr. II Les Taylor
- Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975) - Matthew Johnson
- The Streets of San Francisco (episode: "Poisoned Snow", 1975) - Nappy
- Sanford and Son (episode: "Sanford and Gong", 1976) - Doctor Davis
- The Buddy Holly Story (1978) - Eddie
- Butterflies in Heat (1979) - Ned
- Wonder Woman (episode: "The Deadly Dolphin", 1978) - Gaffer
- Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (episode: "Cosmic Whiz Kid", 1979) - Koren
- The A-Team (episode: "The Out-Of Towners", 1983) - Digger
- Magnum, P.I. (episode: "Missing Melody", 1986) - David Crawford
- Who's That Girl (1987) - Parole Chairman
- The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989) - Jones
- Wild at Heart (1990) - Barkeeper at Zanzibar (scenes deleted)
- Scissors (1991) - Officer (uncredited)
- A Last Goodbye (1995) - O.C. Lee (final film role)