Howard Rollins
Biography
Howard Rollins was an American actor whose work spanned theater, film and television. Born in Baltimore, he studied theater at Towson University before leaving college in 1970 to play Slick Robinson on the PBS soap opera Our Street. He then moved to New York City and appeared on Broadway in We Interrupt This Program..., The Mighty Gents and G. R. Point. His television work included the miniseries King and Roots: The Next Generations. Ragtime (1981) was his film debut and brought an Academy Award nomination and two Golden Globe nominations. A Daytime Emmy nomination followed for Another World. In 1983 he played Medgar Evers in For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story, winning a NAACP Image Award. He starred in A Soldier's Story (1984), then played Virgil Tibbs on In the Heat of the Night from 1988 to 1995, earning another NAACP Image Award. Harambee!, a 1996 television movie, was his final acting role. He died in 1996.
46years old at death
- Born Baltimore
- Died St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
- Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
- Howard Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. (birth name)Also credited as Howard E. Rollins, Jr. and Howard Rollins, Jr.
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 3 years1981 to 1984
Every film, newest first
- 1984A Soldier's StoryIMDb rating 7.2
- 1984The House of GodIMDb rating 5.6
- 1983For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar EversIMDb rating 7.4
- 1981RagtimeIMDb rating 7.3
Genres
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Big break
Rollins first appeared on screen in Ragtime, the 1981 movie from Dino De Laurentiis and Miloš Forman. That part brought him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Big break
Rollins took the lead in Norman Jewison's A Soldier's Story in 1984, and that part opened the door to playing Virgil Tibbs on the television series In the Heat of the Night.
Howard Rollins movies on Netflix
Worked with
Howard Rollins shares two films with Howard E. Rollins Jr., and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Howard E. Rollins Jr.'s page
Laurence Fishburne's page
Brad Dourif's page
James Cromwell's page
Mary Steenburgen's page
Denzel Washington's page
All films by Norman Jewison
All films by Milos Forman
Donald WryeDirector, 1 film, 1984
All films by Donald Wrye
Awards
Two awards and honors from 1983 to 1989.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 1989 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | In the Heat of the Night | Won |
| 1983 | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story | Won |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.