Friday, October 11, 2013

Stu Gilliam obit

 Actor and Comedian Stu Gilliam has died

He was not on the list.


Stewart Byron Gilliam was born in a middle-class area of Detroit, the grandson of a church minister. He left home at the age of 14 to perform with a circus as ventriloquist in state fairs, then after a few years began to appear in clubs in Chicago. During his two-year service in the Korean War, he entertained troops as a ventriloquist. In the 1950s/60s he performed his act in clubs nationwide with black audiences, including the Apollo Theater in New York City. He sometimes performed for mixed-race shows, but in Southern states was prevented from appearing onstage at the same time as white performers. Finally, the Playboy Club circuit placed him before largely white crowds, including in the South.

Gilliam appeared on national television in the 1960s, including The Ed Sullivan Show, Playboy After Dark, and The Dean Martin Show. He did stand-up work and TV and film appearances in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1968, he was paired with Don Adams and Robert Culp in Get Smart as Agent Samuels (really Kubacek, a double agent in deep disguise) in "Die, Spy", a spoof of the television series I Spy. He was the voice of Freddie "Curly" Neal on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series Harlem Globetrotters in the early seventies. Gilliam was a panelist on the first season of the game show Match Game 73 episodes 41-45 and 51-56.

Gilliam co-starred in the CBS sitcom Roll Out during the 1973–74 season. Also starring Hilly Hicks, and featuring Ed Begley, Jr. and Garrett Morris, the series was set in France during World War II and was loosely based on the 1952 film Red Ball Express.

He married Vivian Baravalle in 2007 and moved to her residence in the Czech Republic. He died of a heart attack in České Budějovice on October 11, 2013, aged 80. He had been suffering from lung cancer and COPD. He is buried in Boršov nad Vltavou.

Actor

 

    Robert Townsend in The Meteor Man (1993)

    The Meteor Man

        Dr. Jones - Head Physician

        1993

 

Life Stinks (1991)

Life Stinks

 

    Desmond

 

    1991

 

Jerry Orbach and Barbara Babcock in The Law and Harry McGraw (1987)

The Law and Harry McGraw

 

    Dexter

 

    TV Series

 

    1987–1988

 

Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker in Simon & Simon (1981)

Simon & Simon

 

    Inspector HarknessWalter Newcomb

 

    TV Series

 

    1983–1987

 

Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)

Murder, She Wrote

 

    Cabbie

 

    TV Series

 

    1985

 

Wildside (1985)

Wildside

 

    Dance Troupe Leader

 

    TV Series

 

    1985

 

ABC Weekend Specials (1977)

ABC Weekend Specials

 

    George ShermanSheriff

 

    TV Series

 

    1977–1984

 

Gimme a Break! (1981)

Gimme a Break!

 

    TV Series

 

    1984

 

Off the Wall (1983)

Off the Wall

 

    Lester Poindexter

 

    1983

 

Jack Blessing and Darren McGavin in Small & Frye (1983)

Small & Frye

 

    Florist

 

    TV Series

 

    1983

 

Patricia Harty and Dean Jones in Herbie, the Love Bug (1982)

Herbie, the Love Bug

 

    Policeman #1

 

    TV Series

 

    1982

 

Bill Cosby and Elliott Gould in The Devil and Max Devlin (1981)

The Devil and Max Devlin

 

    Orderly #1

 

    1981

 

The Harlem Globetrotters Meet Snow White (1980)

The Harlem Globetrotters Meet Snow White

 

    Curly (voice)

 

    1980

 

Claude Akins, Brian Kerwin, and Mills Watson in The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979)

The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo

 

    Mr. Avery

 

    TV Series

 

    1980

 

The Super Globetrotters (1979)

The Super Globetrotters

 

    Freddie 'Curly' NealSphere Man

 

    TV Series

 

    1979

 

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again

 

    The Cook

 

    1979

 

Greg Evigan in B.J. and the Bear (1978)

B.J. and the Bear

 

    Jim, the Mechanic

 

    TV Series

 

    1979

 

Harris and Company (1979)

Harris and Company

 

    Charlie Adams

 

    TV Series

 

    1979

 

Fred Berry, Haywood Nelson, and Ernest Thomas in What's Happening!! (1976)

What's Happening!!

 

    GaryWillie Spencer

 

    TV Series

 

    1976–1978

 

Love Is Not Enough

 

    Cousin Charley Adams

 

    TV Movie

 

    1978

 

Bette Davis, Christopher Lee, Kim Richards, and Ike Eisenmann in Return from Witch Mountain (1978)

Return from Witch Mountain

 

    Dolan

 

    1978

 

Brothers (1977)

Brothers

 

    Robinson

 

    1977

 

Jack Klugman in Quincy M.E. (1976)

Quincy M.E.

 

    Dr. Hiro's Driver

 

    TV Series

 

    1977

 

Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde (1976)

Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde

 

    Silky, the pimp

 

    1976

 

David Niven, Kim Richards, Herschel Bernardi, Barbara Feldon, Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, and Brad Savage in No Deposit, No Return (1976)

No Deposit, No Return

 

    Policeman

 

    1976

 

Robert Mitchum and Charlotte Rampling in Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

Farewell, My Lovely

 

    Man #1

 

    1975

 

The Man from Clover Grove (1974)

The Man from Clover Grove

 

    Deputy Billy Van Middlespoon

 

    1974

 

Stu Gilliam and Hilly Hicks in Roll Out (1973)

Roll Out

 

    Cpl. 'Sweet' Williams

 

    TV Series

 

    1973–1974

 

Nicole Jaffe, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Heather North, and Frank Welker in The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)

The New Scooby-Doo Movies

 

    Additional VoicesFreddie 'Curly' Neal

 

    TV Series

 

    1972–1973

 

The Mack (1973)

The Mack

 

    Announcer

 

    1973

 

The Houndcats (1972)

The Houndcats

 

    Ding Dog

 

    TV Series

 

    1972

 

Harlem Globe Trotters (1970)

Harlem Globe Trotters

 

    Freddie 'Curly' Neal

 

    TV Series

 

    1970–1971

 

Decisions! Decisions!

 

    TV Movie

 

    1971

 

Sandy Duncan, Joe Flynn, James Gregory, Dean Jones, Lee Montgomery, and Tony Roberts in The Million Dollar Duck (1971)

The Million Dollar Duck

 

    Minor Role (uncredited)

 

    1971

 

Love, American Style (1969)

Love, American Style

 

    Harley Davis (segment "Love and the Militant")Leroy (segment "Love and the Fur Coat")

 

    TV Series

 

    1969–1970

 

Diahann Carroll and Marc Copage in Julia (1968)

Julia

 

    Stu Gilliam

 

    TV Series

 

    1970

 

Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (aka Rowan & Martin) 1975

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

 

    Regular PerformerGuest Performer

 

    TV Series

 

    1969–1970

 

Listen to the Man

 

    1969

 

Three's a Crowd (1969)

Three's a Crowd

 

    Ralph Wilcox

 

    TV Movie

 

    1969

 

Don Adams and Barbara Feldon in Get Smart (1965)

Get Smart

 

    Samuels

 

    TV Series

 

    1968

 

Goldie Hawn, Joby Baker, Billy De Wolfe, Julie Parrish, and Ronnie Schell in Good Morning World (1967)

Good Morning World

 

    Billy

 

    TV Series

 

    1968

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