Julius W. Harris was an American 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...

 who appeared in more than 70 movies and numerous television series in a career that spanned four decades.

Early life and career

Born in Philadelphia, Harris worked as a nurse, and a bouncer

Bouncer (doorman)

A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 Jazz clubs before he began acting. After hanging out with many struggling actors, he took a dare and auditioned for his first role and was cast as the father in Nothing But a Man

Nothing But a Man

Nothing But a Man is a film made in 1964 and directed by Michael Roemer. The story is about a black railroad worker, who falls in love with a black school teacher, who is the town’s preacher’s daughter. The story depicts the struggle of their strife for “a meaningful place” in their society. It...

, a critically acclaimed 1964 film about black life in the South starring Ivan Dixon

Ivan Dixon

Ivan Dixon was an American actor, director, and producer best known for his series role in the 1960s sitcom Hogan's Heroes, for his role in the 1967 telefilm The Final War of Olly Winter, and for directing hundreds of episodes of television series...

 and Abbey Lincoln

Abbey Lincoln

Anna Marie Wooldridge , better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, she was one of many...

.

Some of his most prominent roles included the villainous, steel-armed Tee Hee in the James Bond

James Bond

James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...

 film Live and Let Die

Live and Let Die (film)

Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...

,Scatter in Super Fly, Captain Bollin in Shaft's Big Score

Shaft's Big Score

Shaft's Big Score, released in 1972, is the second film in the trilogy in which actor Richard Roundtree starred as the private-eye, John Shaft. Gordon Parks again directed, and Ernest Tidyman once more supplied the screenplay. Isaac Hayes was unavailable, so Parks, the director, did the score himself...

, Inspector Daniels in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Joseph in Islands in the Stream

Islands in the Stream (film)

Islands in the Stream is a 1977 American drama film, an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel of the same name. The film was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starred George C...

 and Ugandan President Idi Amin

Idi Amin

Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...

 in the TV movie Victory at Entebbe

Victory at Entebbe

Victory at Entebbe is a made-for-television film from 1976 based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of Israeli hostages at Entebbe Airport in Uganda...

. He also appeared in Trouble Man

Trouble Man

Trouble Man is a 1972 blaxploitation film produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film stars Robert Hooks as "Mr. T.", a hard-edged private detective who tends to take justice into his own hands...

, King Kong

King Kong (1976 film)

King Kong is a 1976 American monster movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition....

, Black Caesar

Black Caesar (film)

Black Caesar is a 1973 American blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen. It is a remake of the 1931 film Little Caesar. It features a notable musical score by James Brown , his first experience with writing music for film...

, Hell Up in Harlem

Hell Up in Harlem

Hell Up in Harlem is a 1973 blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen...

, Friday Foster

Friday Foster (film)

Friday Foster is a 1975 blaxploitation film, written and directed by Arthur Marks, and starring Pam Grier in the title role. Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers and Carl Weathers co-starred. It was an adaptation of the 1970-74 eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip, scripted by Jim...

, Shrunken Heads, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man

Other songs in the film, but not included on the soundtrack are "Stop the World" by The Screaming Jets, "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, and "Work to Do" and "The Better Part of Me" by Vanessa Williams.-See also:* List of American films of 1991*...

, and in guest-starring roles on Sanford and Son

Sanford and Son

Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....

, Good Times

Good Times

Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...

, and Love Boat

Love Boat

The Overseas Compatriot Youth Formosa Study Tour to Taiwan, informally known as the Love Boat, is currently a four-week summer program for about 400–600 college-aged Overseas Chinese. In Chinese, it is also colloquially referred to as mei-jia-ying - America and Canada Camp, a reference to where...

among others. Harris was a member of the Negro Ensemble Company

Negro Ensemble Company

The Negro Ensemble Company is a New York City-based theater company. Established in 1967 by playwright Douglas Turner Ward, producer/actor Robert Hooks, and theater manager Gerald S...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and appeared on Broadway in the Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

 winning play, No Place to Be Somebody.

Death

On October 17, 2004, Harris died of heart failure at the age of 81. He was cremated and interred in Philadelphia, his place of birth. He was survived by his daughter Kimberly and his son Gideon.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1964	Nothing But a Man Nothing But a Man Nothing But a Man is a film made in 1964 and directed by Michael Roemer. The story is about a black railroad worker, who falls in love with a black school teacher, who is the town’s preacher’s daughter. The story depicts the struggle of their strife for “a meaningful place” in their society. It...	Will Anderson	Julius Harris' first movie role
1969	Slaves Slaves (film) Slaves is a 1969 drama film directed by Herbert Biberman. It was entered into the 1969 Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Dionne Warwick , Ossie Davis, and Stephen Boyd.-Plot:...	Shadrach
1972	Trouble Man	Mr. Big
	Super Fly	Scatter
1973	Black Caesar Black Caesar (film) Black Caesar is a 1973 American blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen. It is a remake of the 1931 film Little Caesar. It features a notable musical score by James Brown , his first experience with writing music for film...	Papa Gibbs
	Live and Let Die Live and Let Die (film) Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...	Tee Hee Johnson
	Hell Up in Harlem Hell Up in Harlem Hell Up in Harlem is a 1973 blaxploitation film, starring Fred Williamson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Larry Cohen...	Papa Gibbs
1974	The Taking of Pelham One Two Three	Inspector Daniels
1975	Let's Do It Again Let's Do It Again (1975 film) Let's Do It Again is a 1975 film starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby and Jimmie Walker. Poitier also directed. The film is about blue-collar workers who decide to rig a boxing match to raise money for their fraternal lodge...	Bubbletop Woodson
1976	King Kong King Kong (1976 film) King Kong is a 1976 American monster movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition....	Boan
1977	Islands in the Stream Islands in the Stream (film) Islands in the Stream is a 1977 American drama film, an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel of the same name. The film was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starred George C...	Joseph
Looking for Mr. Goodbar Looking for Mr. Goodbar (film) Looking for Mr. Goodbar is a 1977 film written for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks and starring Diane Keaton, Tuesday Weld, Richard Gere, and also features Tom Berenger...	Black Cat
1983	Going Berserk Going Berserk Going Berserk is a 1983 comedy film starring John Candy, Joe Flaherty, and Eugene Levy and directed by David Steinberg.- Plot :John Bourgignon is an amiable chauffeur and would-be drummer who is engaged to the daughter of an extremely disapproving United States senator...	Judge
1984	The Enchanted	Booker T.
1985	Crimewave Crimewave Crimewave is a 1985 comedy film directed by Sam Raimi, an unusual slapstick mix of film noir, black comedy and several eras, starring Reed Birney, Paul L. Smith, Louise Lasser, Brion James, Bruce Campbell, and Sheree J. Wilson. It was Raimi's first studio film following the success of The Evil Dead...	Hardened Convict
	My Chauffeur My Chauffeur My Chauffeur is an American comedy film starring E. G. Marshall, Deborah Foreman, and Howard Hesseman. It was written and directed by David Beaird. The original music score was composed by Paul Hertzog. The film was released on January 24, 1986, and was marketed with the tagline "Some women will,...	Johnson	Alternative title: My Chauffeur: Licensed to Love
1990	To Sleep with Anger To Sleep With Anger To Sleep with Anger is a 1990 drama film directed and written by Charles Burnett.-Plot:Harry Mention , an enigmatic drifter from the South, comes to visit an old acquaintance named Gideon , who now lives in South-Central Los Angeles...	Herman
	Darkman Darkman Darkman is a 1990 superhero action film directed by Sam Raimi. It is based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s...	Gravedigger
	Prayer of the Rollerboys Prayer of the Rollerboys Prayer of the Rollerboys is a 1990 independent science fiction film, starring Corey Haim and Patricia Arquette.-Plot summary:Haim stars as Griffin, a rollerblader in the not so distant future of Los Angeles which is in a sad state, the city is deep in crime and drug activity in the wake of a...	Speedbagger
1991	Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man Other songs in the film, but not included on the soundtrack are "Stop the World" by The Screaming Jets, "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, and "Work to Do" and "The Better Part of Me" by Vanessa Williams.-See also:* List of American films of 1991*...	Old Man, Jimmy Jiles's father
1993	Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence	Houngan	Alternative titles: Maniac Cop 3 MC3: Maniac Cop 3
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	N.Y.P.D.	Hector	1 episode
1973	The Bob Newhart Show The Bob Newhart Show The Bob Newhart Show is an American situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired 142 original episodes on CBS from September 16, , to April 1, . Comedian Bob Newhart portrayed a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers...	Mr. Billings	1 episode
1975	Harry O	Arthur "Art Sully" Daniels	1 episode
	Cannon Cannon (TV series) Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976.The primary protagonist was the title character, Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad....	Milner	1 episode
	Ellery Queen Ellery Queen (TV series) Ellery Queen is an American television detective mystery series that ran for one season from 1975 to 1976 on NBC. It starred Jim Hutton as Ellery Queen, and David Wayne as his father, Inspector Richard Queen...	Doyle the Butler	1 episode
1976	Rich Man, Poor Man Rich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries) Rich Man, Poor Man was a 1976 American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 10:00pm ET/PT on Monday night for twelve weeks, beginning February 1. It was produced by Universal Television and was the second time programming of this nature had been attempted. The first TV...	Augie	Miniseries
	Victory at Entebbe Victory at Entebbe Victory at Entebbe is a made-for-television film from 1976 based on an actual event: Operation Entebbe and the freeing of Israeli hostages at Entebbe Airport in Uganda...	President Idi Amin	Television movie
1977	Kojak	Joe Addison	1 episode
1978	The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is a television series which aired for three seasons on ABC...	Mr. Dove	2 episodes
1979	The Incredible Hulk	Doc Alden	1 episode
1981	Thornwell	Frisco	Television movie
1982	The Blue and the Gray	Swamp Preacher	Miniseries
	Voyagers! Voyagers! Voyagers! is an American science fiction time travel-based television series that aired on NBC during the 1982–1983 season. The series stars Jon-Erik Hexum and Meeno Peluce.-Plot:...	Auctioneer	1 episode
1983	St. Elsewhere St. Elsewhere St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982 to May 25, 1988. The series is set at fictional St. Eligius, a decaying urban teaching hospital in Boston's South End neighborhood...	Earl	1 episode
1983–1986	Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...	Bardo Sargent Major Brennan	2 episodes
1984	Hart to Hart Hart to Hart Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...	Krohn	1 episode
	Gone Are the Dayes Gone Are the Dayes Gone Are the Dayes is a 1984 television film directed by Gabrielle Beaumont and starring Harvey Korman, Susan Anspach and Robert J. Hogan.-Plot:...	Man #1	Television movie
	Benson Benson (TV series) Benson is an American television sitcom which aired from September 13, 1979, to April 19, 1986, on ABC. The series was a spin-off from the soap opera parody Soap ; however, Benson discarded the...	Uncle Buster	1 episode
	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...	Reverend Taylor	1 episode
1985	Hollywood Wives Hollywood Wives Hollywood Wives is a 1983 novel by the British author Jackie Collins. It was her ninth novel, and her most successful.Hollywood Wives tells the stories of several women in Hollywood, ranging all the way from long-time talent agents and screenwriters to vivacious screen vixens and young, innocent...	Reverend Daniel	Miniseries
	Amazing Stories Amazing Stories (TV series) Amazing Stories is a fantasy, horror, and science fiction television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and was somewhat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes...	Joe	1 episode
1986	Capitol Capitol (TV series) Capitol is an American soap opera which aired on CBS from March 29, 1982 to March 20, 1987 for 1,270 episodes. As its name suggests, the storyline usually revolved around the political intrigues of people whose lives intertwined in Washington D.C....	Papa Nebo	Unknown episodes
1987	Outlaws Outlaws (1986 TV series) Outlaws is a short-lived action-adventure American television series which aired Saturday nights on CBS. The original series began as a 2-hour pilot movie, and was followed by eleven one-hour episodes.- Origins :...	Butch	1 episode
	A Gathering of Old Men A Gathering of Old Men (film) A Gathering of Old Men is a 1987 American television drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff and based on the novel of the same name. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Louis Gossett Jr...	Coot	Television movie Alternative title: Murder on the Bayou
1989	Friday the 13th: The Series Friday the 13th: The Series Friday the 13th: The Series is an American-Canadian horror television series that ran for three seasons, from October 3, 1987 to May 26, 1990 in first-run syndication....	Simpson	1 episode
1991	The Golden Girls The Golden Girls The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...	Mr. Lewis	1 episode
	Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...	Jack Lee Johnson	1 episode
	Civil Wars Civil Wars (TV series) Civil Wars is an American legal drama that aired on ABC from November 1991 to March 1993. The series was produced by Steven Bochco, known for his work on NYPD Blue, L.A. Law, and Hill Street Blues.-Synopsis:...	Judge Adams	1 episode
1992	Eerie, Indiana Eerie, Indiana Eerie, Indiana is an American television series that aired on NBC from 1991 to 1992 and then on syndication on Fox from 1997 to 1998. The series was created by José Rivera and Karl Schaefer, with Joe Dante serving as creative consultant.-Premise:...	Prop Man	1 episode
1997	ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...	Gramps	1 episode

External links