BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " ROBIN HARRIS " WAS AN AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND ACTOR : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

            BLACK   SOCIAL  HISTORY                                                                                                                            

Robin Harris

Robin Harris
Robin as seen on the cover of The Robin Harris Story - We Don't Die, We Multiply.
Birth name	Robin Hughes Harris
Born	August 30, 1953 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 18, 1990 (aged 36) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, film
Nationality	American
Years active	1980–1990
Genres	Satire, Observational comedy,Improvisational comedy
Spouse	Exetta Harris (? - March 18, 1990) (his death)

Robin Hughes Harris (August 30, 1953 – March 18, 1990) was an American comedian and actor, known for his recurring comic sketch about Bébé's Kids.^[1]

Childhood

Robin Harris was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Earl, was a welder, and his mother, Mattie, was a factory seamstress.^[2] In 1961, the family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended Manual Arts High School. Harris then attended Ottawa University inKansas. During this time, he began to hone his craft of comedy. He worked for Hughes Aircraft, a rental car company, and Security Pacific Bank to pay his bills. In 1980, he debuted at Los Angeles’ Comedy Store.

Career

During the mid '80's, Harris worked as the master of ceremonies at the Comedy Act Theater. His “old school” brand of humor began to gain him a mainstream following. Harris made a promising feature debut playing a no-nonsense bartender in the feature film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988). Harris also performed in director Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989). As "Sweet Dick Willie," Harris served as part of the neighborhood "Greek chorus" that commented on the events of an increasingly tense day. Harris was Pop, the no-nonsense, quick-witted father of Kid in House Party (1990). He followed up later that year with a small turn as a jazz club MC inMo' Better Blues. He also had a role in Eddie Murphy's Harlem Nights (1989). Fellow comedian and actor Raymond "The RayVolution" Baxter credits Harris with him becoming a stand up: "I saw Mr. Harris at home in Chicago at a club my aunt worked for and he was nice enough to see me after a set and joke around with me. He said I was funny enough to get on the circuit at 11! So that day I went to work on my material..."^{[this quote needs a citation]}

Bébé's Kids

In Harris' "Bébé's Kids" routines, Harris' girlfriend Jamika would insist that he take her son and friend Bébé's three children with them on a date, as she continually agreed to babysit them. The children would regularly make a fool out of and/or annoy Harris. "We Bébé's kids," they would proclaim, "we don't die...we multiply."

The Hudlin Brothers had intended to make a feature film based upon the "Bébé's Kids" sketches, but Harris died while the film was in pre-production. Bébé's Kids instead became an animated feature, the first ever to feature an all-black main cast. It was directed by Bruce W. Smith and featured the voices of Faizon Love (as Harris), Vanessa Bell Calloway,Marques Houston, Nell Carter, and Tone Lōc.^[3][4]

Death

In the early hours of March 18, 1990, Harris died in his sleep of a heart attack in his Chicago hotel room after performing for a sold out crowd at the Regal Theater.^[5] Harris was transported back to California and interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery, near Los Angeles. House Party 2 and Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues (which was released five months after his death) were dedicated to his memory. Through archive footage, in House Party 2, a photo of Harris comes to life and tells Kid "Keep your mind on them books and off them 'gals!", which was actually taken from a scene in the original House Party. In House Party 3, when uncle Vester (played by Bernie Mac) looks at a photograph of Harris, he tells Kid how he misses his father and wishes he was alive, and that he "owes him" $150.

At the time of Harris' death, his wife was pregnant with their son, Robin Harris, Jr .^[5]

In 2006, a posthumous DVD, entitled We Don't Die, We Multiply: The Robin Harris Story (2006), was released. The film features never-before seen performances by Harris and accolades from his contemporaries Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, Robert Townsend, and Joe Torry.^[6] The film also features a rap performed and dedicated to Harris by his son, Robin Harris, Jr.^[7]

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1991	Independent Spirit Award	Nominated	Best Supporting Male	House Party