Cleavon jake little was born on June 1st 1939 in Chickasaw Oklahoma but raised in California
he graduated Kearney high school in 1957 and attended San Diego City College and earned a
bachelor's degree in Dramatic Arts at San Diego State University he then moved to New York after
receiving a full scholarship to Julliard after Julliard Cleavon trained at the American Academy
of Dramatic Arts little started his professional career in 1967 appearing at the Village Gate in
the original production of Mack Byrd then playing Foxtrot in the play scuba dooba which premiered
in October of 1967 in 1968 he moved into film with a small and credited role in what's so bad
about feeling good his first guests our role on television was in two episodes of felony
squad followed by a series of small roles in such films as John and Mary and cotton comes to Harlem
in 1970 in 1969 little performed on Broadway in the musical jingle Hoffman in 1970 he played the
title role in the musical Pearlie for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical
and the Drama Desk Award for outstanding actor in a musical in 1971 Cleavon was hired as an ensemble
player for the syndicated variety weekly program the David Frost revue in 1971 he was chosen for
the role of the blind radio personality super-soul in the movie vanishing point that same year he
played Hawthorne Dooley in the pilot for the Waltons and in an episode wall in the family
Cleavon little and Valerie Wiggins were married in 1972 and they divorced in 1974 from 1972 to
1974 he starred in ABC's sitcom temperature's rising the TV movie the day the earth moved and
an episode of six million dollar man and in 1974 Cleavon little starred in his most famous role as
sheriff Bart in the Mel Brooks classic comedy film Blazing Saddles he was nominated for the
BAFTA award for most promising newcomer after Blazing Saddles he went back to Broadway for
the next three years appearing in all over town and in the poison tree little played a supporting
role - Richard Pryor in the movie Grease Lightning in 1977 during the 1970s and 80s he appeared in
many films such as FM scavenger hunt high-risk toy soldiers and he also co-starred with Jim
Carrey in once bitten in the 1980s he returned to the New York stage in the resurrection of lady
Lester and the play I'm not Rappaport through the years he had several guest appearances on
TV including the Mod Squad police story the Rockford Files The Love Boat Fantasy Island
the fall guy and Alf in 1989 he also appeared in a Dear John episode entitled stand by your
man for which he won an Emmy Award in 1991 he was in True Colors Baghdad cafe and separate-but-equal
his last appearance was in 1992 in the Tales from the Crypt episode this'll kill ya Cleavon
little was a very busy and hard-working actor but plagued with ulcers and stomach disorders
much of his life sadly he died of colon cancer on October 22nd 1992 in Sherman Oaks California
he was only 53 years old his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the Pacific
Ocean he was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February of 1994
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