This movie is called Fast Break starring Gabe Kaplan. It was one of the best films to work on because it didn't feel like work. I played a character named Preacher, who was also a star basketball player. Preacher gets his pastor's daughter pregnant. He fears for his life, so he is recruited to play for an obscure college basketball team that is coached by Gabe Kaplan's character. The best player on that team is a girl, Swish, played by Mavis Washington (with the white head band) but she can't let it be known that she is a girl. (Girls don't play on men's basketball teams.) This causes some serious problems for Harold Sylvester (far bottom right) because he begins having feelings for Swish that he can't explain. NBA All-Star Bernard King, on Gabe's right plays Hustler. Rent the movie. It's a fun and funny movie.
This photo is from the highly acclaimed television series, Hill St. Blues. In the pilot, Renko, wonderfully acted by Charles Haid, was my partner....Hill and Renko. I believe this scene is from the pilot. Both cops were shot after stumbling upon a drug deal. The series was created by the brilliant Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll. The show lanquished at the bottom of the Neilsen Ratings but was nominated for a record 23 Emmy nominations the first season. Charlie and I both were nominated for Emmys. Michael Conrad, who embodied Sgt. Esterhaus as no other actor could, took away the grand prize as Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series. Interested parties should copy and paste this URL address to see the fantastic actors who appeared on Hill St. Blues. http://hillstreetblues.net/cast/cast.html
This was a cast picture from the Emmy Award winning television series, Hill St. Blues. Veronica Hamel is to my left, Daniel J. Travanti, and Michael Conrad,
This picture was taken in 1966 at the beginning of the season. This team went 30-0 and was led by the best college basketball player ever, Lew Alcindor, as he was known then but later converted to Islam and became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The great NBA star, Lucius Allen was also on this team and an All American too. We were coached by the greatest coach in any sport, John Wooden.
I played basketball at UCLA from 1964 (freshmen weren't allowed to play varsity basketball) to 1968. This photo was taken after we had won the championship in 1968 against North Carolina. This was one of two championship teams that I played on at UCLA. More of my basketball exploits will come later.
Probably some of the best work that I ever did as an actor on a television series was on Soul Food. I played a "Robin Hood" type character. I was very good to my community but shady to the power structure. This picture is of Usher and me. He played my son.
This picture represents one of my most treasured experiences. It occurred at a benefit honoring Dr. Martin Luther King posthumously, and I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Rosa Parks. I was awestruck and speechless. She was kind enough to pose with me for this picture. I was deeply honored.