Otis Young

Otis E. Young
Young as Jemal David in The Outcasts, 1968.
Born(1932-07-04)July 4, 1932
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedOctober 12, 2001(2001-10-12) (aged 69)
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
OccupationActor

Otis E. Young (July 4, 1932 – October 12, 2001) was an American actor and writer. He co-starred in a television Western, The Outcasts (1968–1969), with Don Murray. Young was the second African-American actor to co-star in a television Western, the first being Raymond St Jacques on the final season of Rawhide in 1965. Young played another memorable role as Jack Nicholson's shore patrol partner Richard "Mule" Mulhall in the 1973 comedy-drama film The Last Detail, and his later film credits included the low budget horror films The Capture of Bigfoot (1979) and Blood Beach (1981).

Early life and education

Young was born in Providence, Rhode Island, one of 14 children. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17 and served in the Korean War.[1] He then enrolled in acting classes at New York University School of Education where one of his classmates was the young Louis Gossett Jr.[citation needed]

Career

He trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse and worked off-Broadway as an actor and writer in the early 1960s. He appeared on Broadway in James Baldwin's Blues for Mister Charlie,[2] with such notables as Diana Sands, and Al Freeman, Jr. His first movie appearance was in Murder in Mississippi (1965). On television, Young portrayed Jemal David, a former slave, in the ABC western The Outcasts (1968-1969).[3] and the Episode "Identity Crisis" in Columbo.

He studied theology at LIFE Bible College in Los Angeles and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1983.[4] After, he was ordained pastor, eventually serving as senior pastor of Elim Foursquare Gospel Church in Rochester, New York from 1986 to 1988. He taught acting classes at School Without Walls, a college-like alternative public high school in Rochester, from 1987 through 1991. In 1989 he joined the faculty at Monroe Community College in Rochester; he remained there as a Professor of Communication and head of the Drama Department until his retirement in 1999.[5]

Death

Young suffered a stroke in Los Angeles and died on October 12, 2001, aged 69, at the Veterans Hospital. A memorial ceremony was held at Pepperdine University Chapel.[6][5]

He was survived by his wife, Barbara, and two sons, two daughters and mother, Gwendolyn.[5]

References

  1. ^ Actor Otis Young Will Be Featured Speaker Here Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Otis Young". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on December 23, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 801. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  4. ^ Dennis McLellan, Otis Young, 69; First Black to Co-Star in a TV Western Series, latimes.com, October 20, 2001.
  5. ^ a b c Profile at the African American Registry via archive.org. Accessed May 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "Otis Young, 69, Actor Who Broke a Barrier". The New York Times. 2001-10-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-05.