BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Moses Gunn
| BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY |
| Moses Gunn | |
|---|---|
Gunn in 1974
| |
| Born | October 2, 1929 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | December 16, 1993 (aged 64) Guilford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1962–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | Gwendolyn Mumma Landes (1966–1993) (his death) (2 children) |
Moses Gunn (October 2, 1929 – December 16, 1993)[1] was an American actor. An Obie Award-winning stage player, he co-founded the Negro Ensemble Company in the 1960s. His 1962 Off-Broadway debut was in Jean Genet's The Blacks, and his Broadway debut was in A Hand is on the Gate, an evening of African-American poetry. He was nominated for a 1976 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for The Poison Tree and played Othello on Broadway in 1970.
Biography
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Mary and George Gunn, he was the oldest of seven children. After his mother died, his family splintered. Moses left home and rode the railroad at just 12 years old. He returned to St. Louis and attended school while living at the home of Jewel Richie, his English teacher. He graduated from Tennessee State University after serving in the United States Army, then went to graduate school at Kansas University, gaining a masters degree. He taught briefly at Grambling College before attempting an acting career in NYC. He married Gwendolyn Mumma Landes in 1966, becoming stepfather to her daughter Kirsten Sarah Landes. They had a son, Justin Moses, in 1970 who became a musician and composer in the Copenhagen-based band, The Reverend Shine Snake Oil Co.
An authoritative black character actor of film and TV, Gunn also enjoyed a successful career on stage. He made his New York Citystage debut in the original off-Broadway production of Jean Genet's The Blacks (1962). He performed many Shakespearean roles inJoseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park, winning an Obie Award for his portrayal of Aaron in Titus Andronicus. He won a second Obie for his work in the NEC produced "First Breeze of Summer," which moved to Broadway. His much acclaimed performance as Othello at the Stratford, Connecticut, Shakespeare Festival was also moved to Broadway in 1970. Other Broadway plays in which Gunn performed are: "A Hand is on the Gate," "Twelfth Night," "I Have a Dream," and "The Poison Tree," for which he gained a Tony nomination for Best Actor. Gunn is best remembered in film for his portrayal of mobster Ellsworth Raymond "Bumpy" Jonas in the first two Shaft movies, and for his role of Booker T. Washington in the 1981 movieRagtime, a performance which won him an NAACP Image Award. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1977 for his role in the TV mini-series Roots. He also co-starred withAvery Brooks on the TV series A Man Called Hawk. Gunn also appeared in six episodes as atheist shop owner Carl Dixon on the sitcom Good Times, as boxer-turned-farmer Joe Kagan on Little House on the Prairie, and as the character Moses Gage in the 1980s NBC drama Father Murphy. In 1989, Gunn appeared in two episodes of The Cosby Show as two different characters. He appeared in the fifth season episode "The Dead End Kids Meet Dr. Lotus" as Dr. Lotus and in the sixth season episode "Grampy and Nu Nu Visit the Huxtables", as Joe Kendall, Martin's (Joseph C. Phillips) father and Olivia's (Raven-Symoné) grandfather. His final acting role was as murder suspect Risley Tucker in "Three Men and Adena", an award-winning episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. He died from complications of asthma in Guilford, Connecticut on December 16, 1993.
Film/Television
- 1970 WUSA as Clotho
- 1970 The Great White Hope as Scipio
- 1971 Shaft as Bumpy Jonas
- 1972 Haunts of the Very Rich as Seacrist
- 1972 Shaft's Big Score as Bumpy Jonas
- 1972 Eagle in a Cage
- 1973 The Iceman Cometh as Joe Mott
- 1973 Kung Fu as Isaac Montoya (episode, "The Stone")
- 1972 The Hot Rock as Dr. Amusa
- 1974 Amazing Grace as Welton J. Waters
- 1975 Rollerball as Cletus
- 1975 Cornbread, Earl and Me as Benjamin Blackwell
- 1975 Aaron Loves Angela as Ike
- 1977 Good Times as Carl Dixon
- 1977 Roots as Kintango
- 1980 The Ninth Configuration as Major Nammack
- 1981 Ragtime as Booker T. Washington
- 1982 Amityville II: The Possession as Detective Turner
- 1984 The NeverEnding Story as Cairon
- 1984 Firestarter as Dr. Herman Pynchot
- 1986 Heartbreak Ridge as Staff Sergeant Webster
- 1987 Bates Motel as Henry Watson
- 1989 Amen as Benjamin Tillman
- 1989 The Cosby Show as Joe Kendall and Dr. Lotus
- 1989 The Women of Brewster Place
- 1990 Tales From The Crypt as Uncle Ezra in the episode, "Fitting Punishment"
- 1991 Perfect Harmony as Zeke
- 1993 Homicide: Life on the Street as Risley Tucker; final acting role
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