Earle Hyman

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Earle Hyman
Born (1926-10-11) October 11, 1926 (age 97)
Rocky Mount, North Carolina, United States
Other names Earl Hyman
Occupation Stage, film and television actor
Years active 1943–2001

Earle Hyman (born October 11, 1926) is an American stage, television, and film actor. Hyman is known for his recurring role on ThunderCats as the voice of Panthro and later on The Cosby Show as Cliff's father, Russell Huxtable.

Biography

Career

Hyman was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, of African and Native American ancestry. Hyman's parents, Zachariah Hyman (Tuscarora) and Maria Lilly Plummer (Haliwa-Saponi/Nottoway), moved their family to Brooklyn, New York, where Hyman primarily grew up. Earle Hyman became interested in acting after seeing a production of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts. “The first play I ever saw was a present from my parents on my 13th birthday — Nazimova in ‘Ghosts’ at Brighton Beach on the subway circuit — and I just freaked out.”[1][2]

He made his Broadway stage debut as a teenager in 1943 in Run, Little Chillun, and later joined the American Negro Theater. The following year, Hyman began a two-year run playing the role of Rudolf on Broadway in Anna Lucasta, starring Hilda Simms in the title role.[3] He was a member of the American Shakespeare Theatre beginning with its first season in 1955, and played the role of Othello in the 1957 season.[4]

In December 1958 he came to London to play the leading role in the play Moon on a Rainbow Shawl by Errol John, at the Royal Court.[5] In 1959 he again appeared in the West End, this time in the first London production of A Raisin In the Sun alongside Kim Hamilton. The show ran at the Adelphi Theatre and was directed again by Lloyd Richards.

A life member of The Actors Studio,[6] Hyman has appeared throughout his career in productions in both the United States and Norway (he is fluent in Norwegian) where he also owns a home on Norway's west coast and an apartment in Oslo. In 1965, won a Theatre World Award and in 1988, he was awarded the St Olav's medal for his work in Norwegian theater.

In addition to his stage work, Hyman has appeared in various television and film roles including adaptions of Macbeth (1968), Julius Caesar (1979), and Coriolanus (1979), and voiced Panthro on the animated television series ThunderCats (1985-1990). He played two roles (at different times) on television's The Edge of Night. One of his most well known roles, that of Russell Huxtable in The Cosby Show, earned him an Emmy Award nomination in 1986 where he played the father of lead character Cliff Huxtable, played by actor Bill Cosby, despite only being 11 years senior to Cosby. He is the first cousin once removed of singer Phyllis Hyman. Their common ancestors are his parental grandparents Ishmael and Cassandra (Cross) Hyman.

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1945 The Lost Weekend Smoking Man Uncredited
1954 The Bamboo Prison Doc Jackson, medic
1966 Afrikaneren Raymond Alternative title: The African
1975 The Super Cops Police Detective Uncredited
1975 The Possession of Joel Delaney Charles Credited Earl Hyman
1979 Coriolanus Cominius
Julius Caesar Cicero
1982 Fighting Back Police Chief Freeman Alternative title: Death Vengeance
1985 Thundercats - HO: The Movie Panthro Voice
1988 Light Years Maxum (Voice) Alternative title: Gandahar
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1957 Hallmark Hall of Fame Adam 1 episode
The United States Steel Hour Jim 1 episode
1963 Espionage Premier Djatuma 1 episode
East Side/West Side Mr. Marsden 1 episode
1964 The Nurses Buratta 1 episode
Playdate Crouch 1 episode
The Defenders District Attorney 1 episode
1965 Seaway Tom Nkomo 1 episode
1968 Macbeth Macbeth Television movie
1980 The Ivory Ape Inspector St. George Television movie
1982 Long Day's Journey Into Night James Tyrone Television movie
1984 The Edge of Night Bailiff Unknown episodes
1984-1992 The Cosby Show Russell Huxtable 40 episodes
1985 ThunderCats Panthro/Redeye (Voice) 130 episodes
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus King Awgwa (Voice) Television movie
1987 A Different World Russell Huxtable Episode: :Sometimes You Get the Bear, Sometimes the Bear Gets You"
1989 A Man Called Hawk Jefferson Adams Episode: "Passing the Bar"
1994 Seier'n er vår Sammy Unknown episodes
1995 All My Children Mr. Patterson Unknown episodes
1996 Hijacked: Flight 285 Wayne Edwards Television movie
1997 Cosby Rev. Mitchell 1 episode
2000 The Moving of Sophia Myles Bishop Heath Television movie
2001 Twice in a Lifetime Charley Freeman 1 episode

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Film, series or play
1956 Theatre World Award Won
-
-
1980 Tony Award Nominated Best Featured Actor in a Play The Lady From Dubuque
1983 CableACE Award Won Actor in a Dramatic Presentation Long Day's Journey Into Night
1986 Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series The Cosby Show (For episode "Happy Anniversary")

References

  1. ↑ "From Ibsen to Pinter and back again Earle Hyman’s long journey with the masters"
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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