Howard Rollins
Encyclopedia
Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996) was an American
television, film, and stage actor
. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the film Ragtime
, and as Virgil Tibbs
on the NBC
/CBS
television series In the Heat of the Night
.
nearby. In 1970, he left college early to play the role of "Slick" in the PBS soap opera
Our Street. In 1974, he moved to New York
where he went on to appear on Broadway
and in television films including Roots: The Next Generations
.
In 1982, Rollins was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
for his performance in the Dino De Laurentiis
/Miloš Forman
motion picture, Ragtime
(1981). The following year, he was nominated for an Daytime Emmy
for his role on Another World
.
In 1984, Rollins starred in director Norman Jewison
's film, A Soldier's Story
which led to his role as Virgil Tibbs
on the In the Heat of the Night
television series based on Jewison's acclaimed film In the Heat of the Night.
In the last years of his life, Rollins appeared on the TV shows New York Undercover
and Remember WENN
(his final acting role), in the PBS film Harambee!, and in the theatrical film Drunks.
possession in Louisiana
. In 1993, he served a month in jail for reckless driving
and driving under the influence
. Because of continued legal problems, Rollins was ultimately dropped from In the Heat of the Night. After attending drug rehab
, he returned to In the Heat of the Night as a guest star.
. He had been diagnosed with the disease approximately six weeks earlier.
On October 25, 2006, a wax statue of Rollins was unveiled at the Senator Theatre
in Baltimore. The statue is now at Baltimore's Great Blacks in Wax Museum
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television, film, and stage actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the film Ragtime
Ragtime (film)
Ragtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
, and as Virgil Tibbs
Virgil Tibbs
Virgil Tibbs is a fictional character who is one of the two leading male characters in John Ball's 1965 novel In the Heat of the Night. He is also the protagonist in six sequels to that novel, the Oscar-winning 1967 film of the same name based on the original novel, the sequel films They Call Me...
on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
/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...
television series In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (TV series)
In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
.
Early life and career
The youngest of four children, Rollins was born in Baltimore, Maryland where he studied theater at Towson State CollegeTowson University
Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S...
nearby. In 1970, he left college early to play the role of "Slick" in the PBS 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,...
Our Street. In 1974, he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he went on to appear on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and in television films including Roots: The Next Generations
Roots: The Next Generations
Roots: The Next Generations is a 1979 television miniseries that continues the story of the family of Alex Haley from the 1880s, and their life in Henning, Tennessee, to the 1960s, with Haley researching his family history and his travels to Africa to learn of his ancestor, Kunta Kinte...
.
In 1982, Rollins was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for his performance in the Dino De Laurentiis
Dino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
/Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
motion picture, Ragtime
Ragtime (film)
Ragtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
(1981). The following year, he was nominated for an Daytime Emmy
10th Daytime Emmy Awards
The 10th Daytime Emmy Awards were held on June 6, 1983 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year .Winners in each category are in bold.-Outstanding Daytime Drama Series:*All My Children*Days of our Lives...
for his role on Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
.
In 1984, Rollins starred in director Norman Jewison
Norman Jewison
Norman Frederick Jewison, CC, O.Ont is a Canadian film director, producer, actor and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. Highlights of his directing career include In the Heat of the Night , The Thomas Crown Affair , Fiddler on the Roof , Jesus Christ Superstar , Moonstruck , The Hurricane and The...
's film, A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story is a 1984 drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based upon Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. A black officer is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana near the end of World War II...
which led to his role as Virgil Tibbs
Virgil Tibbs
Virgil Tibbs is a fictional character who is one of the two leading male characters in John Ball's 1965 novel In the Heat of the Night. He is also the protagonist in six sequels to that novel, the Oscar-winning 1967 film of the same name based on the original novel, the sequel films They Call Me...
on the In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night (TV series)
In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995...
television series based on Jewison's acclaimed film In the Heat of the Night.
In the last years of his life, Rollins appeared on the TV shows New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
and Remember WENN
Remember WENN
Remember WENN is a comedy-drama television series that aired from 1996 to 1998 on the cable channel American Movie Classics. Created and written by Rupert Holmes and set at the fictional Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the early 1940s, it depicted events in the personal and professional lives of...
(his final acting role), in the PBS film Harambee!, and in the theatrical film Drunks.
Legal issues
In 1988, Rollins was arrested and pleaded guilty to cocaineCocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
possession in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. In 1993, he served a month in jail for reckless driving
Reckless driving
Reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation. As a legal term, it is used within the United States. This offence has been abolished in the United Kingdom and replaced...
and driving under the influence
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
. Because of continued legal problems, Rollins was ultimately dropped from In the Heat of the Night. After attending drug rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
, he returned to In the Heat of the Night as a guest star.
Death and legacy
Rollins died on December 8, 1996 from complications from lymphomaLymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
. He had been diagnosed with the disease approximately six weeks earlier.
On October 25, 2006, a wax statue of Rollins was unveiled at the Senator Theatre
Senator Theatre
The Senator Theatre is a historic single-screen Art Deco movie theater located at 5904 York Road in the Govans section of Baltimore, Maryland 21212. It shows first run movies as well as classics.The theater ceased showing first-run films on 15 March 2009...
in Baltimore. The statue is now at Baltimore's Great Blacks in Wax Museum
Great Blacks in Wax Museum
The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is a wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland featuring prominent African-American historical figures. It was established in 1983. -About:...
.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | King King (miniseries) King is a television miniseries based on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the American civil rights leader and 1964 Nobel Laureate. It aired for three consecutive nights on NBC from February 12 through 14, 1978... |
Andrew Young | Miniseries Credited as Howard Rollins |
| 1979 | Roots: The Next Generations Roots: The Next Generations Roots: The Next Generations is a 1979 television miniseries that continues the story of the family of Alex Haley from the 1880s, and their life in Henning, Tennessee, to the 1960s, with Haley researching his family history and his travels to Africa to learn of his ancestor, Kunta Kinte... |
George Haley | Miniseries |
| 1981 | Ragtime Ragtime (film) Ragtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was... |
Coalhouse Walker Jr. | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year.... Nominated - Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor The Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor originated in 1948. Between 1954 and 1965, multiple winners were announced. The category was discontinued following the 1983 ceremonies.-Winners:*1948: Richard Widmark*1950: Richard Todd, Gene Nelson... |
| 1982 | The Member of the Wedding | Honey Brown | Television movie |
| 1982 | Another World Another World (TV series) Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J... |
Ed Harding | Unknown episodes Nominated - Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys since the 6th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony in 1979.... |
| 1983 | For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story is a made-for-television biopic that aired on PBS on March 22, 1983. The film was based on the book, For Us, the Living, by Myrlie Evers-Williams and William Peters.-Synopsis:... |
Medgar Evers Medgar Evers Medgar Wiley Evers was an African American civil rights activist from Mississippi involved in efforts to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi... |
Television movie |
| 1984 | House of Dies Drear | Walter Small | Television movie |
| 1984 | The House of God | Chuck Johnston | |
| 1984 | A Soldier's Story A Soldier's Story A Soldier's Story is a 1984 drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based upon Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. A black officer is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana near the end of World War II... |
Captain Davenport | |
| 1985 | Wildside | Bannister Sparks | 6 episodes |
| 1986 | The Boy King | Martin Luther King, Sr. Martin Luther King, Sr. Martin Luther King, Sr., born Michael King was a Baptist missionary, an advocate for equal justice and an early civil rights leader. He was also the father of Martin Luther King, Jr.King, Sr... |
Television movie |
| 1986 | The Children of Times Square | Otis Travis | Television movie |
| 1986 | Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI | T.C. Russell | Television movie |
| 1988 to 1995 | In the Heat of the Night In the Heat of the Night (TV series) In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995... |
Chief of Detectives Virgil Tibbs Virgil Tibbs Virgil Tibbs is a fictional character who is one of the two leading male characters in John Ball's 1965 novel In the Heat of the Night. He is also the protagonist in six sequels to that novel, the Oscar-winning 1967 film of the same name based on the original novel, the sequel films They Call Me... |
121 episodes |
| 1990 | On the Block | Clay Beasley | |
| 1992 | With Murder in Mind | Samuel Carver | Television movie |
| 1994 | In the Heat of the Night: Who Was Geli Bendl? | Virgil Tibbs | Television movie |
| 1995 | New York Undercover New York Undercover New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to... |
Reverend Hundley | Episode: "The Smoking Section" |
| 1995 | Drunks | Joseph | |
| 1996 | Remember WENN Remember WENN Remember WENN is a comedy-drama television series that aired from 1996 to 1998 on the cable channel American Movie Classics. Created and written by Rupert Holmes and set at the fictional Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the early 1940s, it depicted events in the personal and professional lives of... |
George Smith | Episode: "The Emperor Smith" |
| 1996 | Harambee! | Chimbuko | Television movie |