Ernest Thomas

Ernest Lee Thomas is an American actor whose television comedy work made him familiar to sitcom viewers. He was born in Gary, Indiana, and started professionally on the Broadway stage, appearing in revivals of Love for Love and The Member of the Wedding. After moving to Los Angeles, he won the lead in a sitcom reworked from the film Cooley High, which became What's Happening!! and ran from 1976 to 1979. He played Roger Thomas, called Raj, and during that period also worked on Baretta, The Brady Bunch Hour and A Piece of the Action, and had a small part in Roots. He returned as Raj in What's Happening Now!! from 1985 to 1988, then guest starred on many series, among them Martin, Soul Food and The Steve Harvey Show. On Everybody Hates Chris he played Mr. Omar, a funeral director, in a recurring part. His film credits include Malcolm X (1992), The Lords of Salem (2012) and Earworm (2016).