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Julius Harris
Julius Harris in Trouble Man, 1972
Born	Julius W. Harris (1923-08-17)August 17, 1923 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	October 17, 2004(2004-10-17) (aged 81) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1964–1997
Known for	Mr. Big – Trouble Man Tee Hee Johnson – Live and Let Die Mr. Gibbs – Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem Scatter – Super Fly
Children	2

Julius W. Harris (August 17, 1923 – October 17, 2004) was an American actor who appeared in more than 70 movies and numerous television series in a career that spanned four decades. Harris is best known for his roles in 1970s films such as Live and Let Die and the blaxploitation films Super Fly, Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem.

Early life and career

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a father who was a musician and a mother who had been employed by the Cotton Club in New York City as a dancer, Harris worked as a nurse, and a bouncer in New York City jazz clubs. Before he began his acting career, Harris served as a medic in the United States Army during World War II. After hanging out with many struggling actors, he took a dare and auditioned for his first role and was cast as the father in Nothing But a Man, a critically acclaimed 1964 film about black life in the South starring Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln.

Some of his most prominent roles included the villainous, steel-armed Tee Hee in the James Bond film Live and Let Die, Scatter in Super Fly, Bubbletop Woodson in Let's Do It Again, Captain Bollin in Shaft's Big Score, Inspector Daniels in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Joseph in Islands in the Stream and Ugandan President Idi Amin in the TV movie Victory at Entebbe.

He also appeared in Trouble Man, King Kong, Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem, Friday Foster, Shrunken Heads, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man and in guest-starring roles on Sanford and Son, Good Times, and Love Boat among others. Harris was a member of the Negro Ensemble Company in New York City and appeared on Broadway in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, No Place to Be Somebody.

Death

Harris died from heart failure on October 17, 2004, while admitted at the Motion Picture and Television Hospital. He was 81. He was cremated and interred in Philadelphia, his place of birth, and was survived by his daughter Kimberly and son Gideon.

Filmography

References

1. Blaxploitation Films, By Mikel J. Koven.Retrieved March 17, 2020.
2. McLellan, Dennis. "Julius Harris, 81; Broke Stereotypes of Movie Roles for Black Actors." Los Angeles, California: The Los Angeles Times, October 22, 2004, p. B11 (subscription required).
3. "Julius Harris: Stage, screen actor." Phoenix, Arizona: The Arizona Republic, October 23, 2004, p. B9 (subscription required).
4. "Film actor of 4 decades." Miami, Florida: The Miami Herald, October 23, 2004, p. 4B (subscription required).
5. ^ McLellan, Dennis. "Julius Harris, 81; Broke Stereotypes of Movie Roles for Black Actors," The Los Angeles Times, October 22, 2004, p. B11.
6. "Tee Hee (Julius W Harris) - James Bond Villains". Retrieved 27 August 2016.
7. ^ "Julius Harris: Stage, screen actor," The Arizona Republic, October 23, 2004, p. B9.
8. Heffernan, Virginia (2004-10-23). "Julius Harris, 81, Pioneering Black Actor, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-13.

External links

• Julius Harris at the Internet Broadway Database
• Julius Harris at IMDb

• 1923 births
• 2004 deaths
• Male actors from Philadelphia
• United States Army personnel of World War II
• American male film actors
• American male stage actors
• American male television actors
• 20th-century American male actors
• 20th-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century African-American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors