Leonard Jackson (actor)
Encyclopedia
Leonard Jackson is an African-American stage, film, and television actor, perhaps most widely known for his roles in several PBS television series for children as well as his roles in films such as The Brother from Another Planet
, Car Wash
, and The Color Purple
.
. After attending Fisk University
, his professional acting debut was on the stage, in New York Shakespeare Festival
's 1965 off-Broadway
production of Troilus and Cressida
. In March 1968, he played Mr. Carpentier, the title character, in The Electronic Nigger, part of a trio of one-act plays by Ed Bullins
, during The American Place Theatre
production of the play's premiere. He played a pastor in the Broadway premiere of The Great White Hope
, which ran for over 500 performances at the Alvin Theatre during 1968-1970.
As Leonard Jackson, he returned to Broadway two years later, first in the premiere of Conor Cruise O'Brien
's Murderous Angels and after its short run, to a Broadway revival of the Kurt Weill
musical Lost in the Stars
at the Imperial Theatre
.
A dozen years later, Jackson returned to Broadway for the premiere of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
, which ran for 276 performances and was chosen "Best Play" by the New York Drama Critics Circle. In 1991, Jackson was part of the cast for the Broadway premiere of Mule Bone
, an unfinished play written by Langston Hughes
and Zora Neale Hurston
. The production, mounted for the first time sixty years after it was written, received a negative review by Frank Rich
, who said the "three principal performers ... are at best likably amateurish, [though] their efforts are balanced by the assured center-stage turns of such old pros as Leonard Jackson, as a fuming man of the cloth, and Theresa Merritt
."
On television, he had a recurring role on several PBS television series for children, including Sesame Street
, Shining Time Station
, and Square One TV/Mathnet
. He has also been featured in episodes of dramas such as Law & Order
, Homicide: Life on the Street
, and Spenser: For Hire
, and comedies such as Amen
, The Cosby Show
, and The Jeffersons
.
His made-for-television films include Separate But Equal
(1991) and Rage of Angels
, the 1983 adaptation of the Sidney Sheldon
novel.
The Brother from Another Planet
The Brother from Another Planet is a science fiction film written, directed and edited by John Sayles. It stars Joe Morton as an extraterrestrial who has escaped to Earth and who hides in New York City.-Plot:...
, Car Wash
Car Wash
Car Wash is a 1976 American comedy film released by Universal Pictures. The Art Linson Production was directed by Michael Schultz from a screenplay by Joel Schumacher...
, and The Color Purple
The Color Purple (film)
The Color Purple is a 1985 American period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director , and was a change from the summer blockbusters for which he had become famous...
.
Early years and stage career
Jackson, in his early years known as L. Errol Jaye, was born February 7, 1928 in Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. After attending Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
, his professional acting debut was on the stage, in New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
's 1965 off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production of Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
. In March 1968, he played Mr. Carpentier, the title character, in The Electronic Nigger, part of a trio of one-act plays by Ed Bullins
Ed Bullins
Ed Bullins is an African American playwright. He was also the Minister of Culture for the Black Panthers. In addition, he has won numerous awards, including the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and several Obies. He is one of the best known playwrights to come from the Black Arts Movement...
, during The American Place Theatre
The American Place Theatre
The American Place Theatre was founded in 1963 by Wynn Handman, Sidney Lanier, and Michael Tolan at St. Clement's Church, far west on 46th Street in New York City and was incorporated as a not-for-profit theatre in that year. Tennessee Williams and Myrna Loy were two of the original Board members...
production of the play's premiere. He played a pastor in the Broadway premiere of The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope is a 1967 play written by Howard Sackler, later adapted in 1970 for a film of the same name. The play was first produced by Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 3, 1968 for a run of 546 performances, directed by Edwin Sherin...
, which ran for over 500 performances at the Alvin Theatre during 1968-1970.
As Leonard Jackson, he returned to Broadway two years later, first in the premiere of Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish politician, writer, historian and academic. Although his opinion on the role of Britain in Northern Ireland changed over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, he always acknowledge values of, as he saw, the two irreconcilable traditions...
's Murderous Angels and after its short run, to a Broadway revival of the Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
musical Lost in the Stars
Lost in the Stars
Lost in the Stars is a musical with book and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson and music by Kurt Weill, based on the novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton...
at the Imperial Theatre
Imperial Theatre
The Imperial Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 249 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan. The theatre seats up to 1417 people....
.
A dozen years later, Jackson returned to Broadway for the premiere of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 1982 play - one of the ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle by August Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright - that chronicles the twentieth century African American experience...
, which ran for 276 performances and was chosen "Best Play" by the New York Drama Critics Circle. In 1991, Jackson was part of the cast for the Broadway premiere of Mule Bone
Mule Bone
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life is a 1930 play by American authors Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. The process of writing the play led Hughes and Hurston, who had been close friends, to sever their relationship. Mule Bone was not staged until 1991.-Characters:Jim Weston: A guitarist and...
, an unfinished play written by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
. The production, mounted for the first time sixty years after it was written, received a negative review by Frank Rich
Frank Rich
Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
, who said the "three principal performers ... are at best likably amateurish, [though] their efforts are balanced by the assured center-stage turns of such old pros as Leonard Jackson, as a fuming man of the cloth, and Theresa Merritt
Theresa Merritt
Theresa Merritt Hines was an American stage, film and television actress and singer.-Career:Born in Emporia, Virginia, Merritt appeared in many theatrical productions but gained fame later in life when she starred in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Wiz Theresa Merritt Hines (September 24,...
."
Television and film career
His film roles include:- Conspiracy TheoryConspiracy Theory (film)Conspiracy Theory is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Richard Donner.The original screenplay by Brian Helgeland centers on an eccentric taxi driver who believes many world events are triggered by government conspiracies, and the U.S...
(1997) ... Old Man in Bookstore - Basquiat (1996) ... Jean Michel's Father
- PalookavillePalookaville (film)Palookaville is a 1995 motion picture about a pair of trio burglars and their dysfunctional family of origin. Prominent actors featured in the film include William Forsythe, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Vincent Gallo, Adam Trese and Frances McDormand...
(1995) ... Bus Driver - Boomerang (1992) ... Lloyd the Chemist
- A Rage in Harlem (1991) ... Mr. Clay
- Basket Case 2Basket Case 2Basket Case 2 is a 1990 American comedy horror film written and directed by Frank Henenlotter. It was released on DVD by Synapse Films on October 30, 2007.-Cast:* Kevin Van Hentenryck as Duane Bradley* Judy Grafe as News Woman...
(1990) ... Police Commissioner - Second SightSecond Sight (film)Second Sight is a 1989 comedy film from Warner Bros., starring John Larroquette, Bronson Pinchot, Stuart Pankin and Bess Armstrong. In the film, a paranormal detective , a psychic and a nun search the streets of Boston, Massachusetts for a missing person who has allegedly been kidnapped.Although...
(1989) ... Doorman - Eddie Murphy RawEddie Murphy RawEddie Murphy Raw is an American stand-up comedy film directed by Robert Townsend and starring Eddie Murphy. It was Murphy's second feature stand-up video, following Eddie Murphy Delirious...
(1987) ... Uncle Gus - The Color PurpleThe Color Purple (film)The Color Purple is a 1985 American period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker. It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director , and was a change from the summer blockbusters for which he had become famous...
(1985) ... Pa Harris - The Brother from Another PlanetThe Brother from Another PlanetThe Brother from Another Planet is a science fiction film written, directed and edited by John Sayles. It stars Joe Morton as an extraterrestrial who has escaped to Earth and who hides in New York City.-Plot:...
(1984) .... Smokey - Car WashCar WashCar Wash is a 1976 American comedy film released by Universal Pictures. The Art Linson Production was directed by Michael Schultz from a screenplay by Joel Schumacher...
(1976) ... Earl - Five on the Black Hand SideFive on the Black Hand SideFive on the Black Hand Side is a 1973 comedy film based on the play by Charlie L. Russell. It was shot in Los Angeles. Leonard Jackson appeared as John Henry Brooks. He was cast in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple fifteen years later. Its tagline was "You've been coffy-tized, blacula-rized and...
(1973) ... John Henry Brooks
On television, he had a recurring role on several PBS television series for children, including Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, Shining Time Station
Shining Time Station
Shining Time Station is an American children's television series co-created by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by The Britt Allcroft Company and Quality Family Entertainment in New York for New York City PBS Station WNET, and was filmed first in New York and then in Toronto...
, and Square One TV/Mathnet
Mathnet
Mathnet is a segment on the children's television show Square One, of which five seasons were produced . This parody of Dragnet featured detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department who solved mysteries using their mathematical skills. There were two main characters: detectives Kate Monday and...
. He has also been featured in episodes of dramas such as Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, and Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire
Spenser: For Hire is a mystery television series based on Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels. The series, developed for TV by John Wilder, differs from the novels, mostly in its lesser degree of detail....
, and comedies such as Amen
Amen (TV series)
Amen is an American television sitcom produced by Carson Productions that ran from September 27, 1986 to May 11, 1991 on NBC. Set in Sherman Hemsley's real-life hometown of Philadelphia, Amen starred Hemsley as the deacon of a church and was part of a wave of successful sitcoms on NBC in the 1980s...
, The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, and The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
.
His made-for-television films include Separate But Equal
Separate but equal
Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law that justified systems of segregation. Under this doctrine, services, facilities and public accommodations were allowed to be separated by race, on the condition that the quality of each group's public facilities was to...
(1991) and Rage of Angels
Rage of Angels
Rage of Angels is a 1980 novel by Sidney Sheldon. The novel revolves around young attorney Jennifer Parker, as she rises as a successful lawyer after being framed for threatening the chief witness against a Mafia boss by mistakenly giving him a dead canary with a broken neck which in turn leads to...
, the 1983 adaptation of the Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon was an Academy Award-winning American writer. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created The Patty Duke Show , I Dream of Jeannie and Hart to Hart , but he became most famous after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Game ,...
novel.
External links
- Leonard Jackson and L. Errol Jaye at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- Leonard Jackson and L. Errol Jaye at Lortel ArchivesLortel ArchivesThe Lortel Archives, or the Internet Off-Broadway Database is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway.The archives are named in honor of actress and theatrical producer Lucille Lortel.-See also:...
- Press Photos from Yale Repertory TheatreYale Repertory TheatreThe Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of the Yale School of Drama in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented students. In the process it has become one of the...
, including two from 1984 that feature Jackson in Ma Rainey's Black BottomMa Rainey's Black BottomMa Rainey's Black Bottom is a 1982 play - one of the ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle by August Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright - that chronicles the twentieth century African American experience...