Adolph Caesar

Adolph Caesar was an American actor of film and theater, born in Harlem, New York City, in 1933 and known for his deep voice. He studied drama at New York University, and his film debut came in 1969, as the Cuban revolutionary Juan Almeida Bosque in Che!. He joined the Negro Ensemble Company in 1970 and appeared in productions including The River Niger. He also did voiceover work for commercials and trailers, and for many years narrated the United Negro College Fund's publicity spots. His signature role was Sergeant Vernon Waters in Charles Fuller's A Soldier's Play, which brought him Drama Desk and Obie awards, and he reprised it in A Soldier's Story (1984), earning Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations plus an NAACP Image Award. He appeared in Fist of Fear, Touch of Death (1980) and The Color Purple (1985), and his last completed film, Club Paradise (1986), was released posthumously.