Browne, Roscoe Lee 1925–

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Browne, Roscoe Lee 1925–

(Roscoe Brown, Roscoe Lee Brown)

PERSONAL

Born May 2, 1925, in Woodbury, NJ; father, a minister. Education: Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, degree; Middlebury College, graduate study; also attended Columbia University.

Addresses: Agent—Mitchell K. Stubbs and Associates, 8675 West Washington Blvd., Suite 203, Culver City, CA 90232; (voice) Cunningham/Escott/Slevin & Doherty Talent Agency, 10635 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 140, Los Angeles, CA 90025.

Career: Actor, voice artist, director, and writer. Shenley Import Corp., national sales representative, 1946–56; Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, teacher of literature and French, 1952; American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA, member of company, 1988–89; Spoleto Festival, guest artist; gives readings of modern poetry and classics at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Member of the board of trustees, Millay Colony for the Arts, Los Angeles Free Public Theatre, KPFK-Pacifica Radio, and other institutions.

Member: Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Awards, Honors: Track and field awards, including two American indoor championships and a world championship in the 800-yard dash, 1951; Obie Award (with Frank Langella and Lester Rawlins), best actor, Village Voice, 1965, for Benito Cereno; Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, best actor, 1970, for The Dream on Monkey Mountain; Bronze Wrangler Award (with others), outstanding theatrical motion picture, Western Heritage Awards, 1972, for The Cowboys; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding supporting actor in a single performance in a comedy or drama series, 1976, for "The Escape Artist," Barney Miller; inducted into Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, 1977; Emmy Award, outstanding guest performer in a comedy series, 1986, for "The Card Game," The Cosby Show; Image Award, outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1988, for The Cosby Show; Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, 1989, for Joe Turner's Come and Gone; Soap Opera Digest Award nomination, outstanding primetime villain, 1989, for Falcon Crest; Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best performance by a featured actor in a play, 1992, for Two Trains Running.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

(As Roscoe Brown) The Connection, Allen/Clarke, 1962.

Bertolt Brecht: Uebungstuecke fuer schauspieler (also known as Bertolt Brecht: Practice Pieces and Bertolt Brecht: Ubungstucke fur schauspieler), 1964.

Christopher, Black like Me (also known as No Man Walks Alone), Continental, 1964.

Preacher, Pie in the Sky (also known as Terror in the City), Allied Artists, 1964.

Petit Pierre, The Comedians (also known as Les comedians), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1967.

(Uncredited) Himself, The Comedians in Africa, 1967.

Clarence, Up Tight!, Paramount, 1968.

Philippe Dubois, Topaz, Universal, 1969.

Photographer, Me and My Brother, New Yorker, 1969.

Lord Byron "L. B." Jones, The Liberation of L. B. Jones, Columbia, 1970.

Himself, Chronicles: Family Diaries I, 1970.

Narrator, Ra (also known as The Ra Expeditions), Universal, 1971.

Music store operator, Cisco Pike, Columbia, 1971.

Jedediah Nightlinger, The Cowboys, Warner Bros., 1972.

Dr. Lamine Sonko, Superfly T.N.T., Paramount, 1973.

Gazenga, The World's Greatest Athlete, Buena Vista, 1973.

Congressman Lincoln, Uptown Saturday Night, Warner Bros., 1974.

Box, Logan's Run, United Artists, 1976.

James Forrest, Twilight's Last Gleaming (also known as Nuclear Countdown and Das Ultimatum), Allied Artists, 1977.

Cohost, Unknown Powers (documentary; originally intended for television), 1978.

Gideon Gibbs, Double Take, 1979.

Mr. Paxton, Nothing Personal, American International Pictures, 1980.

Himself, Is Everybody Happy But Me?, AIMS Media, 1983.

Archer Lincoln, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1986.

Judge Dawkins, Legal Eagles, Universal, 1986.

Voice of Francis, Oliver & Company (animated), Buena Vista, 1988.

Narrator, Night Angel (also known as Hell Born), Fries Entertainment, 1990.

Chairman Hall, Moon 44 (also known as Intruder), Live Home Video, 1991.

Doc, Eddie Presley, Raven Pictures International, 1992.

Fernando Perez, The Mambo Kings (also known as The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love and Les Mambo Kings), Warner Bros., 1992.

Mr. Reid, Naked in New York, Fine Line, 1994.

Narrator, Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X (documentary), 1994.

Freddy, Last Summer in the Hamptons, Rainbow Releasing, 1995.

Leonard Folder, The Pompatus of Love, CFP Distribution, 1995.

Narrator, Babe (also known as Babe, the Gallant Pig), Universal, 1995.

The Beast, 1995.

Clovis Madison, Forest Warrior, Turner Home Entertainment, 1996.

Idris Abraham, Dear God, Paramount, 1996.

Voice of Wilson Fisk (Kingpin), Spider-Man: Sins of the Fathers (animated), Marvel Films/New World Entertainment, 1996.

(Uncredited) Pirate, Muppet Treasure Island, 1996.

Narrator, Babe: Pig in the City (also known as Babe in Metropolis and Babe 2), Universal, 1998.

Peebo, Morgan's Ferry, Artist View Entertainment, 1999.

Narrator, One Shot: The Life and Work of Teenis Harris (documentary), California Newsreel, 2001.

Sweet Deadly Dreams, Falken Arts Productions/North River Pictures, 2002.

Voice of Mr. Arrow, Treasure Planet (animated), Buena Vista, 2002.

Television Appearances; Series:

Gideon Gibbs, McCoy, NBC, 1975–76.

Harold Devore Neistadter, Miss Winslow and Son, CBS, 1979.

Saunders, Soap, ABC, 1980–81.

Voices of Reekon and Merklyn, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light (animated; also known as Visionaries), PBS, 1987.

Rosemont, Falcon Crest, CBS, 1988.

Voice of Max Miles, Ring Raiders (animated), syndicated, beginning in 1989.

Voice of Wilson Fisk (the Kingpin), Spider-Man (animated), Fox and UPN, c. 1995–99.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Philip Harrison, King, NBC, 1978.

Gazenga, "The World's Greatest Athlete," Disneyland (also known as Disney's Wonderful World, The Disney Sunday Movie, The Magical World of Disney, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and The Wonderful World of Disney), 1983.

Charles Farquar, Space (also known as James A. Michener's "Space"), CBS, 1985.

Polonius, Hamlet, Odyssey Network, 2000.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Dr. Cresus, Dr. Scorpion, ABC, 1978.

Calhearn, Stuck with Each Other, NBC, 1989.

Omar DeLacy, Lady in a Corner (also known as Lady in the Corner), NBC, 1989.

Dr. Steadman, "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" (also known as "Columbo"), The ABC Saturday Mystery, ABC, 1990.

Neighbor, "Open Window," Showtime 30-Minute Movie, Showtime, 1991.

Buck, "You Must Remember This," Wonderworks, 1992.

Chief Bleeker, The Judas Kiss, Cinemax, 1998.

Sebastian Allgood, The Premonition (also known as Hard Time: The Premonition), TNT, 1999.

Lieutenant Washington, Hidden Blessings, Black Entertainment Television, 2000.

Television Appearances; Specials:

"Green Pastures," Hallmark Hall of Fame (also known as Hallmark Television Theatre), NBC, 1952.

Babu, "Benito Cereno," Festival of the Arts (also known as NET Playhouse), National Educational Television, 1965.

W. E. B. DuBois, "Free at Last," History of the Negro People, PBS, 1965.

Frederick Douglass, Swing Out, Sweet Land, NBC, 1970.

Diogenes "D. C." Chase, The Haunting of Harrington House, CBS, 1981.

Hurton (in archive footage), Farewell to the Planet of the Apes, 1981.

Gloster Current, "For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers" (also known as "For Us, the Living" and "For Us, the Living: The Medgar Evers Story"), American Playhouse, PBS, 1983.

Ghost of Christmas past, John Grin's Christmas, ABC, 1986.

Gordon Parks: Moments Without Proper Names, PBS, 1988.

Voice, Noel, NBC, 1992.

Narrator, Marilyn Monroe: Life after Death, Showtime, 1994.

Mr. Wortham, "Crosstown," CBS Schoolbreak Special, CBS, 1996.

Narrator, Galapagos: Beyond Darwin, The Discovery Channel, 1996.

Voice, The Tulsa Lynching of 1921: A Hidden Story, PBS, 2000.

"Redd Foxx: Say It Like It Is," Biography, Arts and Entertainment, 2000.

Interviewee, Black Aviators: Flying Free, History Channel, 2001.

Reader, Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives, HBO, 2003.

Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde, BBC, 2004.

Narrator, Tales of a Fly on the Wall, 2004.

Narrator, July '64, PBS, 2006.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

"The Benefactor," The Defenders, CBS, 1962.

Mbana, "The Whistling Shrimp," Espionage, NBC, 1963.

Architect, "Go Fight City Hall," East Side/West Side, CBS, 1963.

That Was the Week That Was (also known as TW3), NBC, 1964.

Dr. Andrew Josephus, "Deadfall: Parts 1 & 2," Mannix, CBS, 1968.

The stranger, "Watts Made out of Thread," Insight, syndicated, 1968.

Arnold Warren, "The Vise," The Invaders, ABC, 1968.

Title role, "Gideon," Outcasts, ABC, 1969.

Wamumba, "The Third Choice," The Name of the Game, NBC, 1969.

Dean Marshall, "The Time Is Now," The Name of the Game, NBC, 1970.

Joshua, "He Was Only Seven," Bonanza (also known as Ponderosa), NBC, 1972.

Hugh Victor Thompson III, "The Elevator Story," All in the Family (also known as Those Were the Days), CBS, 1972.

Osgood Wilcox, "Jealousy," Sanford and Son, NBC, 1972.

The Flip Wilson Show, NBC, 1972, 1973.

Jean Duval, "Archie in the Hospital," All in the Family (also known as Those Were the Days), CBS, 1973.

Yale Courtland Dancy, "A Trout in the Milk," The Streets of San Francisco, ABC, 1973.

"This Case Is Closed," Planet of the Apes, CBS, 1974.

Hurton, "Tomorrow's Tide," Planet of the Apes, CBS, 1974.

Reverend Sam, "God's Business Is Good Business," Good Times, CBS, 1974.

Charlie Jeffers, "The Escape Artist," Barney Miller (also known as The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller), ABC, 1975.

Mr. Butterfield, "Victoria's Boyfriend," Maude, CBS, 1977.

Quatraine, "Starsky and Hutch on Playboy Island," Starsky and Hutch, ABC, 1977.

Merlin, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," Once Upon a Classic, PBS, 1978.

Mr. Butterfield, "Mr. Butterfield's Return," Maude, CBS, 1978.

"Sixth Sense," Hart to Hart, ABC, 1980.

Howard Walker, "Just Friends," Benson, ABC, 1980.

Carlton, "Of Sound Mind," Magnum, P.I., CBS, 1983.

"Death Goes to the Movies," Blacke's Magic, NBC, 1986.

Dean Morton, "Reading Between the Lines," The Ellen Burstyn Show, ABC, 1986.

Dr. Barnabas Foster, "The Card Game," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1986.

Mr. Thomas, "Teacher's Teacher," Head of the Class, 1986.

Dr. Barnabas Foster, "Shakespeare," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1987.

Albert Henry, "Men's Club," 227, 1987.

Dr. Barnabas Foster, "All's Fair," A Different World, NBC, 1988.

Dr. Barnabas Foster, "Speech Therapy," A Different World, NBC, 1988.

Dr. Hudsbeth, "Country Doctor," Highway to Heaven, NBC, 1988.

Dennis Cray, "The Passionate Painter Mystery," Father Dowling Mysteries (also known as Father Dowling Investigates), ABC, 1990.

Dr. Barnabas Foster, "Almost Working Girl," A Different World, NBC, 1991.

Voice of Roscoe, "Star Is Newborn," Baby Talk, ABC, 1991.

Voice, Pirates of Dark Water (animated; also known as Dark Water), Fox, c. 1991.

"Songs of Freedom," Evening at Pops, PBS, 1992.

Dr. Barnabas Foster, "Do the Write Thing," A Different World, NBC, 1992.

Sir Idris Balewa, "Consultation," Law & Order (also known as Law & Order Prime), NBC, 1992.

Dr. Raleigh Young, "The Devil's Window," SeaQuest DSV (also known as SeaQuest 2032), NBC, 1993.

Dr. Raleigh Young, "Greed for a Pirate's Dream," SeaQuest DSV (also known as SeaQuest 2032), NBC, 1994.

Sweet Justice, NBC, 1994.

Mr. Davis, "The Job," The John Larroquette Show (also known as Larroquette), NBC, 1994.

Voice of Dr. Wataki, "Time Out of Joint," Batman: The Animated Series (animated; also known as The Adventures of Batman & Robin and Batman), Fox, 1994.

Voice, "Rumpelstiltskin," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (animated), HBO, 1995.

Voice of Great Mystical Gnome, "And Fanboy Is His Name," Freakazoid! (animated), 1995.

Voice of Great Mystical Gnome, "Lawn Gnomes Chapter IV: Fun in the Sun," Freakazoid! (animated), 1995.

Dr. Johnson, "Bad Blood," New York Undercover (also known as Uptown Undercover), Fox, 1996.

George Lucas, "Broken Reflection," Cosby, CBS, 1996.

Mayor Davidson's supporter, EZ Streets (also known as Easy Streets), CBS, 1996.

Reverend Soames, Kirk (also known as Life Happens), The WB, 1996.

Judge Baily, "It Takes a Voyage to Learn," Hope Island, PAX, 1999.

Reverend Matthew Lynn, "Rites of Spring," ER (also known as Emergency Room), NBC, 1999.

Voice of Komodo dragon, "The Dragon and the Professor," The Wild Thornberrys (animated), 1999.

Himself, "The Papp Project," American Masters, PBS, 2001.

Bryce Wyms, "Throwaway," The Shield, FX Channel, 2002.

Aaron Miller, "Identity," Law & Order (also known as Law & Order Prime), NBC, 2003.

Voice of Dr. Anokye, "Static in Africa," Static Shock (animated), The WB, 2003.

Voice of Dr. Anokye, "Out of Africa," Static Shock (animated), The WB, 2004.

Linus, "The Newlydreads," Will & Grace, NBC, 2004.

Voice of Professor Hugo Strange, "Fistful of Felt," The Batman (animated), The WB, 2005.

Also appeared in Meeting of Minds, PBS; provided voices for episodes of the animated series The Real Ghostbusters, ABC.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

(As Roscoe Lee Brown) Mr. Secretary, "Epicac," Rex Harrison's Short Stories of Love (also known as Short Stories of Love, Short Story, and Three Faces of Love), NBC, 1974.

Silky Gideon Gibbs, The Big Rip-Off (also known as The Big Ripoff), NBC, 1975.

Truman Murdock, The High Five, NBC, 1982.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

Presenter, The 19th Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1987.

2002 Trumpet Awards, TBS, 2002.

Television Work; Series:

Additional voices, Foofur (animated), 1987.

Stage Appearances:

The Taming of the Shrew, New York Shakespeare Festival, East River Park Amphitheater, New York City, 1956.

Soothsayer and Pindarus, Julius Caesar, New York Shakespeare Festival, East River Park Amphitheater, 1956.

Aaron, Titus Andronicus, New York Shakespeare Festival, Theatre of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, New York City, 1957.

Cothurnus, Aria da Capo, Theatre Marquee, New York City, 1958.

Understudy for title role, Othello, New York Shakespeare Festival, Belvedere Lake Theatre, New York City, 1958.

Royal Baron, The Cool World, Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York City, 1960.

Understudy for title role, Purlie Victorious, Cort Theatre, New York City, 1961.

Archibald Wellington, The Blacks: A Clown Show, St. Mark's Playhouse, New York City, 1961–62.

Corporal, General Seeger, Lyceum Theatre, New York City, 1962.

Deacon Sitter Morris, Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright, Booth Theatre, New York City, 1962–63.

Fool, King Lear, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, New York City, 1962.

Brecht on Brecht (revue), Theatre de Lys (now Lucille Lortel Theatre), New York City, 1962, then Arena Stage, Washington, DC, performed as a staged reading at Sheridan Square Playhouse, New York City, and at Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, all 1963.

Autolycus, The Winter's Tale, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, 1963.

Narrator, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Martin Beck Theatre, New York City, 1963.

Street singer, The Threepenny Opera, Arena Stage, 1963.

Babu, Benito Cereno, American Place Theatre, New York City, beginning 1963, later produced as part of a double-bill titled The Old Glory, Theatre of St. Clement's Church, New York City, 1964.

Hell Is Other People (readings), Theatre at Carnegie Hall, New York City, 1964.

Male lead, The Empty Room, Village South Theatre, New York City, 1964.

St. Just, Danton's Death, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York City, 1965.

Ulysses, Troilus and Cressida, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, 1965.

Beyond the Fringe, Goodspeed Opera House, East Had-dam, CT, 1966.

Babu, Benito Cereno, Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati, OH, 1966.

The gardener, Sodom and Gomorrah, Playhouse in the Park, 1966.

Mendoza, Man and Superman, Playhouse in the Park, 1966.

Sheridan Whiteside, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1966.

An Evening of Negro Poetry and Folk Music, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, 1966, produced as A Hand Is on the Gate, Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1966, revived at Afro-American Studio, New York City, 1976–77.

Mosca, Volpone, New York Shakespeare Festival, Mobile Theatre, New York City, 1967.

Makak, The Dream on Monkey Mountain, Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1970, then St. Mark's Playhouse, 1971.

A Rap on Race, New Theatre for Now, Los Angeles, 1971–72.

As You Like It, Pilgrimage Theatre, Los Angeles, 1973.

Ephraim Cabot, Desire Under the Elms, Academy Festival Theatre, Chicago, 1974.

(With Anthony Zerbe) Behind the Broken Words (poetry reading), Washington Theatre Club, Washington, DC, 1974, revived at American Place Theatre, 1981, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver, CO, 2002.

Babu, Benito Cereno, American Place Theatre, 1976.

Albert Perez Jordan, Remembrance, New York Shakespeare Festival, Other Stage, Public Theatre, New York City, 1979.

Pantomime, Goodman Theatre, Chicago, 1981–82.

Right Reverend J. D. Montgomery, My One and Only (musical), St. James Theatre, New York City, 1983–84.

M. Noirtier, The Count of Monte Cristo, Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 1985.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, 1989, then Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, 1989–90.

Holloway, Two Trains Running, Eisenhower Theatre, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1991, then Walter Kerr Theatre, New York City, 1992.

(As Roscoe Lee Brown) "House of Flowers," City Center Encores!, City Center Theatre, New York City, 2003.

Major Tours:

Balthazar, Romeo and Juliet, New York Shakespeare Festival, New York cities, 1957.

Stage Director:

An Evening of Negro Poetry and Folk Music, Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, New York City, 1966, produced as A Hand Is on the Gate, Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1966, revived at Afro-American Studio, New York City, 1976–77.

Radio Appearances:

Native villager, "The Endless Road," CBS Radio Workshop, CBS, 1956.

Performer of Shakespearean roles for CBC-Radio.

RECORDINGS

Taped Readings/Audio Books:

Enjoyment of Poetry: Memorial Program for Claude McKay, Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature, 1967.

Poems, by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature, 1968.

Caribbean, Random House Audio, 1989.

Selected Shorts: A Celebration of the Short Story, Listening Library, 1989.

Martin Luther King Edition: New Testament Value Pack, World Bible Publishing Company, 1991.

Audio Bible, World Bible Publishing, 1991.

Bible for Today New Testament, 1992.

(With Joe Morton) The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Simon & Schuster Audio, 1992.

M. C. Higgins, the Great, by Virginia Hamilton, Recorded Books, 1993.

Kwanzaa Folktales, by Gordon Lewis, Warner Adult, 1994.

The Word Workout: 10 Easy Exercises for a Stronger Vocabulary, Dove Books Audio, 1995.

The Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare: With A Lover's Complaint and Selected Songs, Dove Books Audio, 1996.

The Poetry of Robert Frost, Dove Books Audio, 1996.

Masterpieces of Modern Short Fiction, Audio Literature, 1998.

The Haunting of Hill House, New Star Media, 1999.

The Bible: Old Testament, King James Version, Audio Literature, 2001.

The Poetry of Robert Frost, New Millennium Audio, 2001.

The Poetry of Walt Whitman, New Millennium Audio, 2001.

KJV on Cassette: New Testament, Nelson Bibles, 2003.

WRITINGS

Stage:

An Evening of Negro Poetry and Folk Music (readings), Delacorte Theatre, Public Theatre, 1966, produced as A Hand Is on the Gate, Longacre Theatre, New York City, 1966, revived at Afro-American Studio, New York City, 1976–77.

Behind the Broken Words (poetry reading), Washington Theatre Club, Washington, DC, 1974, revived at American Place Theatre, New York City, 1981, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver, CO, 2002.