Actor Julius Harris passed away on 10/17 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

stella · 10-28-2004, 01:47 AM

Actor Julius Harris may not be too famous, but I remember him very well from two movies.

In the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, he played henchman Tee Hee, who had a prosthetic arm, left Bond on a small island surrounded by crocodiles, and fought with Bond on a train in the end of the movie.

And in the 1976 remake of King Kong, he was one of the Petrox oilmen. On the infamous scene on Skull Island when they were trying to cross a log bridge when Kong arrived, aside from hero Jack Prescott played by Jeff Bridges, his character, Boan, was the only other who survived when he jumped off the log and grabbed the edge of the cliff.

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Julius Harris, groundbreaking black actor, dead at 81
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Julius Harris, a stage and screen performer who broke stereotypes of movie roles for black actors, has died of heart failure at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman says.

Harris, who played the villainous Tee Hee in the James Bond film "Live and Let Die" and a gangster in the 1972 film classic "Superfly," died Sunday, spokeswoman Jennifer ***en said Friday.

Harris, a former member of the Negro Ensemble Company in New York City, played diverse roles in an acting career that spanned four decades. He appeared in more than 70 film and television productions in roles that included a preacher who headed a slave group in the 1982 Civil War miniseries "The Blue and the Gray" and Ugandan President Idi Amin in the TV movie "Victory at Entebbe."

"Even today, if I am walking in a black neighborhood, people call me by my 'Superfly' name - Scatter," Harris told the Los Angeles Times last October before being honored with a tribute at the Directors Guild of America Theatre.

"His work helped African-Americans break out of stereotypical movie roles and be seen as dynamic heroes and fully realized human beings," actress Halle Berry said in a taped introduction to Harris' film work.

Harris' mother was a Cotton Club dancer and his father was a musician. Harris, a Philadelphia native, served as an Army medic during World War II and found work as an orderly and a nurse after leaving the service in 1950.

He eventually moved to New York City, where he landed his first role as actor Ivan Dixon's drunk, defeated father in "Nothing But a Man," a critically acclaimed 1964 film about black life in the South starring Dixon and Abbey Lincoln.

Harris is survived by his children, Kimberly and Gideon.

dawsongirl · 10-28-2004, 02:54 AM

His name sounds familiar. Was he ever on any TV shows?

stella · 10-28-2004, 05:10 AM

Yes, he had several guest appearances on shows too. You can see his IMDB entry at:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364918/

Dr. Jazz · 10-28-2004, 11:48 AM

Great actor. I also liked him as the crooked pastor of Florence's church on the Jeffersons.

ABlairican Pie · 10-30-2004, 01:28 PM

I think I remember him when I was a kid. He had a distinctive voice on commercials in the late 60's/early 70's--I think he did things like commercials for 7-Up, Whisk, toys, and others. He had a very deep voice.

10-28-2004, 01:47 AM	#1
stella Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 24, 2003 Posts: 392	Actor Julius Harris passed away on 10/17 Actor Julius Harris may not be too famous, but I remember him very well from two movies. In the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, he played henchman Tee Hee, who had a prosthetic arm, left Bond on a small island surrounded by crocodiles, and fought with Bond on a train in the end of the movie. And in the 1976 remake of King Kong, he was one of the Petrox oilmen. On the infamous scene on Skull Island when they were trying to cross a log bridge when Kong arrived, aside from hero Jack Prescott played by Jeff Bridges, his character, Boan, was the only other who survived when he jumped off the log and grabbed the edge of the cliff. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Julius Harris, groundbreaking black actor, dead at 81 The Associated Press LOS ANGELES - Julius Harris, a stage and screen performer who broke stereotypes of movie roles for black actors, has died of heart failure at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman says. Harris, who played the villainous Tee Hee in the James Bond film "Live and Let Die" and a gangster in the 1972 film classic "Superfly," died Sunday, spokeswoman Jennifer ***en said Friday. Harris, a former member of the Negro Ensemble Company in New York City, played diverse roles in an acting career that spanned four decades. He appeared in more than 70 film and television productions in roles that included a preacher who headed a slave group in the 1982 Civil War miniseries "The Blue and the Gray" and Ugandan President Idi Amin in the TV movie "Victory at Entebbe." "Even today, if I am walking in a black neighborhood, people call me by my 'Superfly' name - Scatter," Harris told the Los Angeles Times last October before being honored with a tribute at the Directors Guild of America Theatre. "His work helped African-Americans break out of stereotypical movie roles and be seen as dynamic heroes and fully realized human beings," actress Halle Berry said in a taped introduction to Harris' film work. Harris' mother was a Cotton Club dancer and his father was a musician. Harris, a Philadelphia native, served as an Army medic during World War II and found work as an orderly and a nurse after leaving the service in 1950. He eventually moved to New York City, where he landed his first role as actor Ivan Dixon's drunk, defeated father in "Nothing But a Man," a critically acclaimed 1964 film about black life in the South starring Dixon and Abbey Lincoln. Harris is survived by his children, Kimberly and Gideon.

10-30-2004, 01:28 PM	#5
ABlairican Pie Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Dec 12, 2001 Location: Living where cats reign more Supreme than a pizza. Posts: 31,620	I think I remember him when I was a kid. He had a distinctive voice on commercials in the late 60's/early 70's--I think he did things like commercials for 7-Up, Whisk, toys, and others. He had a very deep voice.
	__________________ Release the kitties. --Nathan Explosion

10-28-2004, 02:54 AM	#2
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,134	His name sounds familiar. Was he ever on any TV shows?

10-28-2004, 05:10 AM	#3
stella Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Sep 24, 2003 Posts: 392	Yes, he had several guest appearances on shows too. You can see his IMDB entry at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364918/

10-28-2004, 11:48 AM	#4
Dr. Jazz The Evil Empire. . . . Forum Star Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Posts: 11,094	Great actor. I also liked him as the crooked pastor of Florence's church on the Jeffersons.