David McKnight obit

David McKnight, Actor in ‘J.D.’s Revenge’ and Robert Townsend Films, Dies at 87

In addition to 'Hollywood Shuffle' and 'The Five Heartbeats,' he was in 'Under Siege' and on plenty of television shows over the years.

 

He was not on the list.

David McKnight, who portrayed the title character in the cult blaxploitation horror classic J.D.’s Revenge and appeared in Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats for Robert Townsend, has died. He was 87.

McKnight died Sunday of cancer in Las Vegas, his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby told The Hollywood Reporter.

McKnight also showed up on dozens of TV shows, from Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson to Moonlighting, 227, Roc, L.A. Law and The District.

In the New Orleans-set J.D.’s Revenge (1976), directed by Arthur Marks, McKnight played a deceased hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.

In a 2018 interview, McKnight said that he first met Townsend when the first-time feature filmmaker was putting together Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and offered him advice.

He was then hired to play Uncle Ray, a singer turned barber who encourages Townsend’s Bobby Taylor to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. McKnight said he brought his own photos from home to help dress up the barbershop set on the film, which was made on a shoestring budget.

McKnight later portrayed Pastor Stone in the Townsend-directed The Five Heartbeats (1991) and was the father of Townsend’s Robert Peterson on a 1995 episode of The Parent ‘Hood, the WB sitcom co-created by Townsend.

Born on July 2, 1936, in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, David Lee McKnight and his family moved to Chicago when he was 4. He attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School, where he discovered acting, and Wilson Junior College in his hometown; served with the U.S. Army; and worked as a police officer.

In 1970, McKnight starred on the first all-Black TV soap opera, Richard Durham’s Bird of the Iron Feather, which aired on WTTW in Chicago. His first two movies were J.D.’s Revenge, the Sam Elliott-starring Lifeguard (1976) and Michael Crichton’s Coma (1978).

His résumé included two films written by J.F. Lawton, Pizza Man (1991) and Andrew Davis’ Under Siege (1992), plus A Taste of Hemlock (1989) and Pump Up the Volume (1990). More recently, he appeared with Vivica A. Fox in the 2016 telefilm A Husband for Christmas and on the 2019-23 web series A House Divided.

“Mr. McKnight was a very skilled and adroit character actor whose contributions as a standout African American thespian were unsung throughout his career, like many during his era,” Prof. Rel Dowdell, director of film studies at Hampton University, said in a statement.

Busby noted that McKnight was a great dancer, a sharp dresser and a member of the NAACP’s Hollywood/Beverly Hills chapter. She put together a tribute video to him that can be seen here.

Survivors include his brother, James, and a daughter.

Actor

 

    A House Divided (2019)

    A House Divided

 

5.9

TV Series

 

    Benjamin

    Benjamin Sanders

 

    2019–2023

 

Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry, and Morgan Dixon in A Christmas for Mary (2020)

A Christmas for Mary

5.8

TV Movie

 

    Otis

 

    2020

 

Ellen Hollman and Bobby Campo in Sharing Christmas (2017)

Sharing Christmas

6.1

TV Movie

 

    Mr. Cranston

 

    2017

 

Vivica A. Fox, Eric Roberts, Dominique Swain, and Ricco Ross in A Husband for Christmas (2016)

A Husband for Christmas

5.0

TV Movie

 

    Wade Harris

 

    2016

 

Pamela Anderson, Leslie Nielsen, Simon Rex, Drake Bell, Craig Bierko, Regina Hall, and Tracy Morgan in Superhero Movie (2008)

Superhero Movie

4.7

 

    Bishop Tutu

 

    2008

 

Candice Bergen, William Shatner, and James Spader in Boston Legal (2004)

Boston Legal

8.5

TV Series

 

    Graham Potter

 

    2006

 

The District (2000)

The District

7.2

TV Series

 

    Bailiff

 

    2004

 

Josh Brolin, Audra McDonald, David Norona, and William Russ in Mister Sterling (2003)

Mister Sterling

8.0

TV Series

 

    Maitre D'

 

    2003

 

Linda Hamilton, Jeff Fahey, and Coolio in On the Line (1997)

On the Line

5.6

TV Movie

 

    Dale Holman

 

    1997

 

Paula Jai Parker, Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, and Joe Torry in Sprung (1997)

Sprung

5.0

 

    Patrol Officer #2

 

    1997

 

George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies, Ming-Na Wen, Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Alex Kingston, Eriq La Salle, Kellie Martin, Paul McCrane, Michael Michele, Erik Palladino, Maura Tierney, and Goran Visnjic in ER (1994)

ER

7.9

TV Series

 

    Janitor

 

    1997

 

Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans in The Wayans Bros. (1995)

The Wayans Bros.

7.3

TV Series

 

    Melroy Jones

 

    1995

 

Ashli Adams, Tyrone Burton, Suzzanne Douglas, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Robert Townsend, and Curtis Williams in The Parent 'Hood (1995)

The Parent 'Hood

7.0

TV Series

 

    Slim

 

    1995

 

John Grisham and JoBeth Williams in The Client (1995)

The Client

5.9

TV Series

 

    Father Greg

 

    1995

 

Divas (1995)

Divas

6.6

TV Movie

 

    Janitor

 

    1995

 

Michael Chiklis in The Commish (1991)

The Commish

7.1

TV Series

 

    Alan Jeffries

    Hayes

 

    1993–1994

 

Ice Cube, Lori Petty, and Michael Boatman in The Glass Shield (1994)

The Glass Shield

6.1

 

    Mr. Harold Johnson

 

    1994

 

Charles S. Dutton in Roc (1991)

Roc

7.4

TV Series

 

    Jim

 

    1994

 

Steven Seagal in Under Siege (1992)

Under Siege

6.5

 

    Flicker

 

    1992

 

Bill Maher and Annabelle Gurwitch in Pizza Man (1991)

Pizza Man

4.6

 

    Vince

 

    1991

 

Harry Lennix, Leon, Robert Townsend, Tico Wells, and Michael Wright in The Five Heartbeats (1991)

The Five Heartbeats

7.5

 

    Pastor Stone

 

    1991

 

Veronica Hamel in Stop at Nothing (1991)

Stop at Nothing

6.3

TV Movie

 

    FBI Agent

 

    1991

 

L.A. Law (1986)

L.A. Law

7.1

TV Series

 

    Foreman

 

    1990

 

Christian Slater in Pump Up the Volume (1990)

Pump Up the Volume

7.2

 

    Detective #1

 

    1990

 

Terror in Paradise (1990)

Terror in Paradise

4.7

 

    Chuck

 

    1990

 

A Taste of Hemlock (1989)

A Taste of Hemlock

6.6

 

    Lieutenant Jordan

 

    1989

 

Marla Gibbs and Jackée Harry in 227 (1985)

227

6.7

TV Series

 

    Farmer Larry

    Herbert

 

    1987–1989

 

Hardball (1989)

Hardball

7.1

TV Series

 

    1989

 

Alex Cord in War of the Worlds (1988)

War of the Worlds

6.5

TV Series

 

    Max

 

    1989

 

Friday the 13th: The Series (1987)

Friday the 13th: The Series

7.6

TV Series

 

    Johnny Morrow

 

    1989

 

CBS Schoolbreak Special (1984)

CBS Schoolbreak Special

6.9

TV Series

 

    Mr. Jackson

 

    1989

 

Emmanuel Lewis in Webster (1983)

Webster

5.7

TV Series

 

    Lenny

 

    1989

 

Andrew Bednarski, Jesse Collins, and Rudolph Von Holstein III in Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop (1988)

Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop

6.6

TV Series

 

    Clyde

 

    1988

 

CBS Summer Playhouse (1987)

CBS Summer Playhouse

6.5

TV Series

 

    Murphy

 

    1988

 

Anne-Marie Johnson and Robert Townsend in Hollywood Shuffle (1987)

Hollywood Shuffle

6.9

 

    Uncle Ray

 

    1987

 

Robert Clohessy, Michael Warren, and Bruce Weitz in Hill Street Blues (1981)

Hill Street Blues

8.2

TV Series

 

    S.I.D. #2

    Sgt. at Arms

 

    1982–1987

 

Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd in Moonlighting (1985)

Moonlighting

7.6

TV Series

 

    Police Officer

 

    1987

 

CBS Storybreak (1984)

CBS Storybreak

7.8

TV Series

 

    (voice)

 

    1985

 

Missy Gold, Robert Guillaume, Caroline McWilliams, James Noble, Lewis J. Stadlen, and Inga Swenson in Benson (1979)

Benson

7.1

TV Series

 

    Ed

    Police Officer

 

    1983–1985

 

Cutter to Houston (1983)

Cutter to Houston

4.9

TV Series

 

    Workman #2

 

    1983

 

Dynasty (1981)

Dynasty

6.3

TV Series

 

    Salesman #2

 

    1983

 

Dangerous Company (1982)

Dangerous Company

5.8

TV Movie

 

    Black Con

 

    1982

 

Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby in The Incredible Hulk (1977)

The Incredible Hulk

7.0

TV Series

 

    Clark

 

    1980

 

The Astral Factor (1978)

The Astral Factor

3.7

 

    (uncredited)

 

    1978

 

Geneviève Bujold in Coma (1978)

Coma

6.9

 

    Man in Elevator

 

    1978

 

J.D.'s Revenge (1976)

J.D.'s Revenge

6.0

 

    J.D. Walker

 

    1976

 

Lifeguard (1976)

Lifeguard

6.6

 

    Bill Winkler

 

    1976

 

The Candidate (1972)

The Candidate

7.0

 

    1972