Earle Hyman

Earle Hyman Headshot

Actor

Birth Date: October 11, 1926

Death Date: November 18, 2017

Birth Place: Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Earle Hyman was an American character actor who appeared on film, TV, and stage, but was perhaps best known for lending his voice talents to the beloved 80s cartoon "ThunderCats" (The WB, 1985-1989), as well as his Emmy nominated portrayal of Cliff Huxtable's father on "The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984-1992). Born George Earle Plummer on October 11, 1926, in Rocky Mount, NC, Hyman and his family moved to Brooklyn in the late 1920s. For his 13th birthday, Hyman's parents took him to see a production of Henrik Ibsen's play "Ghosts," which gave the young man the acting bug. Four years later, in 1943, Hyman made his Broadway debut in the show "Run, Little Chillun," and joined the American Negro Theater. He got his first big stage role the next year when he began a two-year run on Broadway, playing Ruben in "Anna Lucasta," an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie" rewritten by the American Negro Theater. During this time, Hyman made his film debut with an uncredited role in Billy Wilder's Best Picture-winning classic "The Lost Weekend" (1945). In 1955, Hyman joined the American Shakespeare Theatre just in time for their first season, and went on to play the titular role in their 1957 production of "Othello." The following year, Hyman went to London for the first time to play the leading role in a Royal Court production in "Moon on a Rainbow Shawl." He would return to the other side of the pond a year later for the first London production of August Wilson's classic "A Raisin in the Sun." Over the next few years, Hyman would build up his Shakespeare bona fides, appearing in a TV version of "Macbeth" (PBS, 1968), and film adaptations of "Julius Caesar" (1979) and "Coriolanus" (1979). Hyman got his first big break in 1985 when he was cast as the voice of Panthro and various other characters on the ubiquitous 80s Saturday morning cartoon "ThunderCats" (The WB, 1985-1989), but it would be the part of Russell Huxtable, the father of Bill Cosby's successful doctor and hapless family man Cliff Huxtable on the beloved, groundbreaking sitcom "The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984-1992), that made Hyman a household name. He even earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series by the third season of the show. Hyman retired from acting following a guest role on the supernatural drama series "Twice in a Lifetime" (CTV/PAX, 1999-2001). On November 17, 2017, Earle Hyman died at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, NJ. He was 91 years old.

Credits

The Moving of Sophia Myles

Actor
Bishop Heath
Movie
2000

Twice in a Lifetime

Guest Star
Show
1999

CosbyStream

Guest Star
Series
1996

Hijacked: Flight 285

Actor
Wayne Edwards
Movie
1996

A Different WorldStream

Guest Star
Series
1987

ThunderCats Ho!

Voice
Panthro
Movie
1986

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

Voice
King Awgwa
Show
1985

ThundercatsStream

Actor
Series
1985

ThundercatsStream

Voice
Series
1985

The Cosby ShowStream

Guest Star
Series
1984

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Actor
James Tyrone
Show
1982

The Ivory Ape

Actor
Inspector St. George
Movie
1980

The Possession of Joel Delaney

Actor
Charles
Movie
1972

Seaway

Guest Star
Show
1965

East Side West Side

Guest Star
Series
1963

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