Roger E. Mosley

Roger E. Mosley is an actor, best known for his work on the detective series "Magnum, P.I." Mosley was raised in the Imperial Courts housing project in Watts. He began collecting credits for small roles in 1971, finding early work in the popular black action films of the day. He had a leading role in the prison film "Terminal Island" (which featured Tom Selleck in an early role) and acted with John Wayne in the police film "McQ." In 1976 Mosley had the leading role in Gordon Parks's biopic "Leadbelly," chronicling the life of the blues performer, and in 1977 he played another historical figure, the boxer Sonny Liston in the Muhammad Ali biopic, "The Greatest." In 1979, Mosley appeared in the sequel to the groundbreaking mini-series "Roots": "Roots: The Next Generations."

He was cast as the Vietnam vet turned helicopter pilot TC in the "Magnum, P.I." series in 1980, appearing in nearly all the series' episodes. Mosely has had supporting parts in a few comedic TV series, including the 1992's "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," 1999's "Rude Awakening," and 2010's "FCU: Fact Checkers Unit." Mosley is also the founder of the Watts Repertory Company. Roger E. Mosley died on August 7, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 83.