Cleavon Little

Cleavon Little Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: June 1, 1939

Death Date: October 22, 1992

Birth Place: Chickasha, Oklahoma

Stage-trained African-American comic actor who garnered international acclaim for his portrayal of Black Bart, the unlikely sheriff, in Mel Brooks' Western spoof "Blazing Saddles" (1974). Little's big break came with a turn in Peter Yates' "John and Mary" (1969), alongside Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow.

In 1970, he starred on stage in Ossie Davis' musical "Purlie," for which he won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award, and appeared in Davis' landmark black independent film, "Cotton Comes to Harlem." Throughout his career, Little displayed a manic, live wire comic energy and a flamboyant, streetwise style of line delivery.

Credits

Separate but EqualStream

Actor
Robert L. "Bob" Carter
Miniseries
1991
83%

True Colors

Actor
Ronald Freeman
Series
1990

Tales From the Crypt

Actor
Series
1989
82%

Fletch LivesStream

Actor
Calculus Entropy
Movie
1989
37%

Dear John

Guest Star
Series
1988

LincolnStream

Actor
Movie
1988

Lincoln

Actor
Show
1988

ALFStream

Guest Star
George Foley
Series
1986

MacGyverStream

Guest Star
Series
1985

227Stream

Guest Star
Series
1985

Once BittenStream

Actor
Sebastian
Movie
1985
10%

The Gig

Actor
Marshall Wilson
Movie
1985

Toy Soldiers

Actor
Buck
Movie
1984

Jimmy the Kid

Actor
Herb
Movie
1982

Double Exposure

Actor
Police Chief
Movie
1982

A House Divided: Denmark Vessey's Rebellion

Actor
Movie
1982

Simon & Simon

Guest Star
Bookkeeper Jared Swope
Series
1981

The Fall GuyStream

Guest Star
Series
1981

High Risk

Actor
Rockney
Movie
1981

The Salamander

Actor
Major Carl Malinowski
Movie
1981

Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy Satchel Paige

Actor
Rabbit
Movie
1981

The Sky Is Gray

Actor
Monsieur Bayonne
Movie
1980

Scavenger Hunt

Actor
Jackson
Movie
1979

Fantasy Island

Guest Star
Series
1978

Vibra Musical

Actor
Movie
1978

FM

Actor
Prince
Movie
1978

Greased LightningStream

Actor
Peewee
Movie
1977

The Rockford FilesStream

Guest Star
Billy Merrihew
Series
1974

Blazing SaddlesStream

Actor
Bart
Movie
1974
88%

The Day the Earth Moved

Actor
Harley Copeland
Movie
1974

Money to Burn

Actor
Calvin Baker
Movie
1973

The WaltonsStream

Guest Star
Series
1972

Temperatures Rising

Actor
Dr. Jerry Noland
Show
1972

The RookiesStream

Guest Star
Series
1972

All in the FamilyStream

Guest Star
Series
1971

Vanishing Point

Actor
Super Soul
Movie
1971
79%

The Homecoming: A Christmas StoryStream

Actor
Hawthorne Dooley
Movie
1971

Cotton Comes to Harlem

Actor
Lo Boy
Movie
1970

John and Mary

Actor
The Film Director
Movie
1969
38%

Mod Squad

Guest Star
Bolo
Series
1968

The Felony Squad

Guest Star
Jesse Hawkins
Show
1966