Tyrone Jackson
Encyclopedia
Tyrone Jackson is a fictional character
from the CBS
soap opera
The Young and the Restless
. The role was portrayed by Phil Morris, son of actor Greg Morris
from the 1966-1973 espionage television series Mission: Impossible
. Phil Morris appeared as Tyrone from 1984 to 1986.
and becomes reacquainted with his brother. Shortly after arriving in town, Tyrone investigates the activities of Genoa City's local organized crime family
, headed by Joseph Anthony (Logan Ramsey
). The mob boss orders his henchman, Jazz, to kill Tyrone, unaware that Jazz is working undercover with Tyrone, and further unaware that Jazz is Tyrone's brother. To save both of their lives, Jazz takes the corpse of a man whose face is damaged beyond recognition and fools Anthony into believing that the body is Tyrone. Meanwhile, Tyrone (who is African American
) uses heavy theatrical make-up to disguise himself as a Caucasian
and infiltrate Anthony's organization. Under the alias "Robert Tyrone", he quickly becomes one of Anthony's most trusted advisors. No one else is aware of the ruse except Jazz, Tyrone's former girlfriend Amy Lewis (Stephanie Williams), and private investigator Andy Richards (Steven Ford
).
As part of his cover, Tyrone romances Anthony's daughter Alana (Amy Gibson), who is unaware of her father's criminal activities. After Alana falls in love with "Robert", her father insists that he marry her. With Tyrone's help, Jazz and Andy manage to gather enough evidence to dismantle the organization, but their investigation is discovered by Anthony, who orders their deaths. Tyrone breaks his cover and convinces one of Anthony's men, "Kong", to help him save Jazz and Andy. The police arrive to rescue the two men and bring Anthony to justice, but not before "Robert" and Alana are married. A shootout ensues and Anthony is killed. Because his assistance saved Jazz and Andy from certain death, Kong -- whose real name is Nathan Hastings
(Nathan Purdee
) -- is granted immunity from prosecution. He reforms and soon becomes a private investigator himself, replacing Andy at Paul Williams' (Doug Davidson
) detective agency.
With the Anthony organization destroyed, "Robert" removes his disguise, revealing to a shocked Alana that his real name is Tyrone Jackson . . . and that he is Black
. Although initially hurt and betrayed, Alana becomes obsessed with Tyrone and claims she still loves him, regardless of his true identity or the color of his skin. Although Tyrone has developed genuine affection for Alana, he is not in love with her. After Alana finally accepts this, the couple has the marriage annulled and she leaves Genoa City. Tyrone attempts to reconcile with Amy, but discovers that she is more interested in Nathan. Soon thereafter Tyrone -- now a licensed attorney -- leaves town.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
. The role was portrayed by Phil Morris, son of actor Greg Morris
Greg Morris
Francis Gregory Alan "Greg" Morris was an American television and movie actor.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Morris began his acting career in the 1960s making guest appearances on many TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Ben Casey...
from the 1966-1973 espionage television series Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
. Phil Morris appeared as Tyrone from 1984 to 1986.
Fictional character biography
In 1984, Jazz Jackson's (Jon St. Elwood) younger brother Tyrone Jackson, a law student, arrives in Genoa CityGenoa City (fictional city)
Genoa City, Wisconsin is the fictional setting for the long-running American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The real U.S. village of the same name is otherwise unlike and unrelated to the mid-size city depicted in the series.- Overview :...
and becomes reacquainted with his brother. Shortly after arriving in town, Tyrone investigates the activities of Genoa City's local organized crime family
Crime family
A crime family is a term used to describe a unit of an organized crime syndicate, often operating within a specific geographic territory. The term is used almost exclusively to refer to units of the Mafia, both in Sicily and in the United States, although it is occasionally used to refer to other...
, headed by Joseph Anthony (Logan Ramsey
Logan Ramsey
Logan Carlisle Ramsey, Jr. was an American character actor of television and film for nearly 50 years. Largely a TV actor, he appeared on, among others: The Edge of Night, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-O, M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Mork and Mindy, Knight Rider and Night...
). The mob boss orders his henchman, Jazz, to kill Tyrone, unaware that Jazz is working undercover with Tyrone, and further unaware that Jazz is Tyrone's brother. To save both of their lives, Jazz takes the corpse of a man whose face is damaged beyond recognition and fools Anthony into believing that the body is Tyrone. Meanwhile, Tyrone (who is African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
) uses heavy theatrical make-up to disguise himself as a Caucasian
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
and infiltrate Anthony's organization. Under the alias "Robert Tyrone", he quickly becomes one of Anthony's most trusted advisors. No one else is aware of the ruse except Jazz, Tyrone's former girlfriend Amy Lewis (Stephanie Williams), and private investigator Andy Richards (Steven Ford
Steven Ford
Steven Meigs Ford is an American actor and son of former United States President Gerald Ford and Former First Lady Betty Bloomer Ford.-Early life:...
).
As part of his cover, Tyrone romances Anthony's daughter Alana (Amy Gibson), who is unaware of her father's criminal activities. After Alana falls in love with "Robert", her father insists that he marry her. With Tyrone's help, Jazz and Andy manage to gather enough evidence to dismantle the organization, but their investigation is discovered by Anthony, who orders their deaths. Tyrone breaks his cover and convinces one of Anthony's men, "Kong", to help him save Jazz and Andy. The police arrive to rescue the two men and bring Anthony to justice, but not before "Robert" and Alana are married. A shootout ensues and Anthony is killed. Because his assistance saved Jazz and Andy from certain death, Kong -- whose real name is Nathan Hastings
Nathan Hastings
Nathan Oliver Hastings, Sr. is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. The role was originated in 1984 by Nathan Purdee, who portrayed the character until 1992...
(Nathan Purdee
Nathan Purdee
Nathan Purdee is an American serial actor. Purdee's father was an officer in the United States Air Force, and the family moved around many times. After spending formative years in Washington, D.C., Bakersfield, California, and Kaiserslautern, Germany, he graduated from high school in Denver,...
) -- is granted immunity from prosecution. He reforms and soon becomes a private investigator himself, replacing Andy at Paul Williams' (Doug Davidson
Doug Davidson
Douglas Donald "Doug" Davidson is an American television actor. He has portrayed private investigator Paul Williams on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless since May 1978, making him the series' senior male cast member.On September 12, 1994, he began hosting a five-night-a-week,...
) detective agency.
With the Anthony organization destroyed, "Robert" removes his disguise, revealing to a shocked Alana that his real name is Tyrone Jackson . . . and that he is Black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
. Although initially hurt and betrayed, Alana becomes obsessed with Tyrone and claims she still loves him, regardless of his true identity or the color of his skin. Although Tyrone has developed genuine affection for Alana, he is not in love with her. After Alana finally accepts this, the couple has the marriage annulled and she leaves Genoa City. Tyrone attempts to reconcile with Amy, but discovers that she is more interested in Nathan. Soon thereafter Tyrone -- now a licensed attorney -- leaves town.
Cultural references
- The inspiration for the Robert Tyrone storyline is believed to be a sketch from the December 15, 1984 episode of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. In the sketch, called "White Like Me", actor/comedian Eddie MurphyEddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
uses heavy theatrical make-up to disguise himself as a white man. In the fantasy world of the sketch, the disguised Murphy discovers that whites act differently when there are no blacks around, engaging in impromptu parties and providing each other with covert favors.