John Witherspoon (actor)

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For the minister and signer of the Declaration of Independence, see John Witherspoon.

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John Witherspoon
File:JohnWithersppon2019 (Cropped).png
Witherspoon in 2019
Born John Weatherspoon
(1942-01-27)January 27, 1942
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, comedian
Years active 1977–2019
Spouse(s) Angela Robinson (m. 1988)
Children 2

John Weatherspoon[1] (January 27, 1942 – October 29, 2019), better known as John Witherspoon, was an American actor and comedian who performed in various television shows and films.[2]

He is best remembered for his role as Willie Jones for the Friday series;[2] Witherspoon also starred in films such as Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Boomerang (1992), The Five Heartbeats (1991), and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995).[2] He has also made appearances on television shows such as The Fresh Prince (1994), The Wayans Bros. (1995–99), The Tracy Morgan Show (2003), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Boondocks (2005–2014), and Black Jesus (2014–2019).[2][3] He wrote a film, From the Old School, in which he played an elderly working man who tries to prevent a neighborhood convenience store from being developed into a strip club.

Early life

Witherspoon was born on January 27, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan.[4][5] He later changed his last name from Weatherspoon to Witherspoon.[6] Witherspoon was one of 11 siblings.[7] His elder brother, William, became a songwriter for Motown, with whom he penned the lyrics of the 1966 hit single "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted".[7] Another sibling, Cato, was a director of the PBS-TV Network/CH56 in Detroit.[8] Their sister, Gertrude Stacks, is a pastor in Shalom Fellowship International church in Detroit.[8]

Witherspoon had a passion for music and learned to play the trumpet and French horn.[citation needed]

Career

Witherspoon worked occasionally as a model. During the 1960s and 1970s, he began to take a liking towards comedy. During that time, he began his stand-up comedy career. As a result, he had many friends in the business, including Tim Reid (while he was working on WKRP in Cincinnati and The Richard Pryor Show), Robin Williams (also on The Richard Pryor Show), Jay Leno, and David Letterman.[3]

Witherspoon performed in many feature films (usually comedies), including Friday (and its sequels Next Friday and Friday After Next) as well as Hollywood Shuffle, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Bird, Vampire in Brooklyn, and The Meteor Man.[4][9][3]

Witherspoon was also known for his over-the-top characters in films such as House Party, in which he played an irritated neighbor who is repeatedly woken up by the party,[3] and Boomerang with Eddie Murphy, where he plays Mr. Jackson, the ill-mannered father of Murphy's best friend.[9]

Television

His first television appearance was on the 1970s CBS television show Barnaby Jones,[10] playing a camp counselor for drug addicted youth.[citation needed] Subsequent appearances were on Good Times,[11] What's Happening!![citation needed] and The Incredible Hulk.[12] In 1977, he became a regular on the series The Richard Pryor Show, an NBC American comedy series.[3] This then led to his appearance in WKRP In Cincinnati in 1982 in the fourth-season episode "Circumstantial Evidence" in which Witherspoon played Detective Davies.[13]

In 1981, he appeared in Hill Street Blues, an NBC police drama, as a man who tries to buy a hotdog from undercover Detective Belker.[14] In 1981, he had an appearance on L.A. Law, an NBC legal drama, in the episode "On Your Honor" as Mark Steadman. He appeared in other television series including You Again? as Osborne, 227, which was an NBC comedy about women who lived in a majority black apartment complex, and What's Happening Now!!, the sequel to What's Happening!!.

A year later Witherspoon was in Amen (1988), an American television sitcom that ran on NBC, as the bailiff. The show was known for being one of the shows during the 1980s that featured an almost entirely black cast.

Next came spots on Townsend Television (1993), Cosmic Slop (1994), and Murder Was The Case (1994) as a drunk.

He appeared in Fox's Living Single (1997) episode "Three Men and a Buckeye" as Smoke Eye Howard. His largest role in a television series was in The Wayans Bros. (1995–1999) which aired on The WB and starred Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, who played brothers Shawn and Marlon Williams.[9] Witherspoon played their father, John "Pops" Williams.

Witherspoon was on the Kids' WB animation series Waynehead, which was about a young boy growing up poor in the Harlem, New York City. The show was aired on Saturday mornings and was based on creator Damon Wayans' life.

In 2003, Witherspoon made a showing on NBC's Last Comic Standing, a reality television show that selected the comedian out of a group and gave him a contract, in the Las Vegas finals. Also in 2003, he performed in The Proud Family, an animated series that aired on Disney Channel, as Oran Jones in the episode "Adventures in Bebe Sitting." He also performed in an episode of another Disney Channel's animated series, Kim Possible.

He starred in the comedy series The Tracy Morgan Show as Spoon in all 18 episodes of the show.[3]

In 2004, he was in Pryor Offenses, a television movie where he played Willie the Wino. In 2005, he was seen in the Comedy Central talk show Weekends at the D.L. where he played the character of Michael Johnson. In the same year, he began starring in Aaron McGruder's animated series The Boondocks as Robert Jebediah "Granddad" Freeman; this Cartoon Network series ran for four seasons.[9][3] In 2006, he performed in a television movie, Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street, a story about a group of kids who find the true meaning of Christmas. In the movie he plays Real Santa, a Christmas singer on the radio. His next appearance was on The Super Rumble Mixshow in 2008. He also appeared in another Aaron McGruder series, Black Jesus, portraying Lloyd, a homeless man.[3]

In 2011, he starred in a Final Destination spoof with Shane Dawson on YouTube. In May 2013, he featured on "Saturday (skit)", from rapper Logic on his 2013 mixtape titled Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever.

Music videos

Witherspoon appeared in a number of music videos in the music industry. He was in the music video for hip-hop superstar Jay-Z's 2000 single "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)". He was also in Field Mob's music video for their song "Sick of Being Lonely". Other music movies include Goodie Mob's "They Don't Dance No Mo'" and LL Cool J's "Ain't Nobody". In 2008, Witherspoon released a hip-hop comedy album titled "63 Cent".[15]

Comedy tour

Witherspoon went back to his comedian roots and started a comedy tour that premiered on television on March 28, 2008, on Showtime Network. On his 2009 tour, he had 19 stops across the country. In December 2011, Witherspoon performed his stand-up comedy act once again on stage at the Funny Bone comedy club at Harrah's Casino in Tunica, Mississippi.

Personal life and death

Witherspoon married Angela Robinson in 1988.[16] They have two sons, John David ("J.D.") and Alexander.[6] J.D. is known for making skits and gameplay videos on YouTube, and hosted the mobile game show Confetti on Facebook Watch. David Letterman was Witherspoon's best friend and is the godfather to his two sons.[17]

Witherspoon died of a heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, on October 29, 2019.[18] He was 77 years old.[19] His funeral was held on November 5, 2019, and he was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.[20]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Jazz Singer M.C. Cinderella Club [4]
1986 Ratboy Heavy [4]
1987 Hollywood Shuffle Mr. Jones [4]
1988 Bird Sid [4]
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Reverend [4]
1990 House Party Mr. Strickland [3][4]
1991 The Five Heartbeats Wild Rudy [4]
Talkin Dirty After Dark Dukie [4]
Killer Tomatoes Strike Back Evan Rood
1992 Boomerang Mr. Jackson [21]
Bébé's Kids Card Player #1 Voice
1993 The Meteor Man Clarence James Carter III [3][4]
Fatal Instinct Arch [4]
1994 Murder Was the Case Drunk #1 [22]
1995 Friday Willie Jones [21]
Vampire in Brooklyn Silas Green [21]
1997 Sprung Detective [4]
Fakin' da Funk Bill [4]
1998 Ride Roscoe [4]
Bulworth Reverend Morris [3]
I Got the Hook-Up Mr. Mimm [4]
High Freakquency Wes Thomas [23]
2000 Next Friday Willie Jones [21]
The Ladies Man Scrap Iron [4]
Little Nicky Street Vendor [4]
2001 Dr. Dolittle 2 Zoo Bear #2 Voice[3]
2002 Friday After Next Willie Jones [21]
2004 Soul Plane Blind Man [4]
2006 Little Man Pops [24]
God's Gift Store
2007 After Sex Gene
2008 The Super Rumble Mixshow [25][26]
The Hustle Mr. Wikes
You Got to Coordinate Himself Stand-up
2009 Hopelessly in June Mr. Myers
2011 Chick Magnet John
2012 A Thousand Words Blind Old Man [27]
2019 I Got the Hook Up 2 Mr. Mimm
2020 Reality Queen Joe The Plumber Posthumous release; Final film role

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1977 The Richard Pryor Show Various 2 episodes[3]
1978 The Incredible Hulk Tom Episode: "Final Round"[12][3]
What's Happening!! D.J. Episode: "Disco Dollar Disaster"
1979 Good Times Officer Lawson Episode: "A Matter of Mothers"[11][3]
Barnaby Jones Frank Wales Episode: "School of Terror"[21]
1982 WKRP in Cincinnati Detective Davies Episode: "Circumstantial Evidence"[13]
Hill Street Blues Businessman Episode: "The Young, The Beautiful and the Degraded"[4]
1986 You Again? Osborne Episode: "Good Neighbors"
1987 227 Man #2 Episode: "Low Noon"
What's Happening Now!! Adam Episode: "Family Life"
Frank's Place Ray Parrish Episode: "Season's Greetings"
1988 Amen The Balliff 2 episodes[4]
1990 L.A. Law Mark Steadman Episode: "On Your Honor"[4]
1993 Townsend Television Various 10 episodes
Martin Uncle Junior Episode: "Thanks for Nothing"
1994 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Augustus Adams Episode: "The Harder They Fall"[4]
1995–1999 The Wayans Bros. John "Pops" Williams Main cast
101 episodes[21][9]
1996–1997 Waynehead Dad Voice, 3 episodes
1997 Living Single Smoke Eye Howard Episode: "Three Men and a Buckeye"[4]
2000 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Scofflaw Voice, Episode: "The Prince and the Pauper"
2003–2004 The Proud Family Oran Jones Voice, 3 episodes
The Tracy Morgan Show Spoon Main cast
18 episodes[21][3]
2004 Kim Possible Wayne Voice, Episode: "Rewriting History"
Pryor Offenses Willie The Wino TV movie
2005 Weekends at the D.L. Michael Johnson Episode: "1.14"
2005–2014 The Boondocks Robert "Granddad" Freeman / Blind Man Voice, Main cast
55 episodes[9]
2006 Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street Real Santa / Christmas Singer on Radio Voice, TV movie
2008 The Super Rumble Mixshow
2011 Tosh.0 Fart Section Bus Passenger Episode: "Fart Bus Kid"
2012–2015 The First Family Grandpa Alvin Recurring role
28 episodes[3]
2013 Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja S. Ward Smith Voice, Episode: "Sword Quest"
2014 Anger Management Will Episode: "Charlie Tests His Power"
2014–2019 Black Jesus Lloyd 31 episodes[3]
2014 Black Dynamite Voice, Episode: "The Warriors Come Out or The Mean Queens of Halloween"
2016 Black-ish James Brown 2 episodes
Animals. Jimmy Voice, Episode: "Squirrels Part I"
2017 White Famous Limo Driver Episode: "Pilot"
2019 The Jellies Voice, Episode: "Doctor Pirates!"
2019 BoJack Horseman Franco Aplenty Voice, Episode: "Surprise!”

Albums

Comedy albums
  • 63 Cent (2008)[15]

References

Notes

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  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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Further reading

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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