Roger E. Mosley
{{Short description|American actor (1938–2022)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Improve lead|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Roger E. Mosley 1980.jpg
| caption = Mosley, 1980.
| name = Roger E. Mosley
| birth_name = Roger Earl Mosley
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|12|18}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|8|7|1938|12|18}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| occupation = {{Hlist|Actor|director|writer}}
| years_active = {{Hlist|1971–2021}}
| education = Jordan High School
| known_for = Playing Theodore "T.C." Calvin in Magnum, P.I.
| spouse = Antoinette Laudermilk
| children = 3
}}
Roger Earl Mosley ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|oʊ|z|l|i}};{{cite web| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ofKK3jRIyc| title=Magnum P.I. Chopper comes homes to the North Shore at Turtle Bay Resort| publisher=Turtle Bay Resort| date=June 7, 2013| access-date=October 17, 2018}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube links|date=February 2022}} December 18, 1938 – August 7, 2022) was an American actor, director, and writer best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin in the CBS television series Magnum, P.I., which originally aired from 1980 until 1988.
Early life and education
Born on December 18, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, and raised by his mother, Eloise, Mosley grew up in the Imperial Courts public housing in the Watts neighborhood Mosley attended Jordan High School.{{cite news |last=Haring |first=Bruce |title=Roger E. Mosley Dies: 'Magnum P.I.' Actor And Film/TV Veteran Was 83 |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/roger-e-mosley-dies-magnum-p-i-actor-was-83-1235086895/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=August 8, 2022 |date=August 7, 2022 |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808082526/https://deadline.com/2022/08/roger-e-mosley-dies-magnum-p-i-actor-was-83-1235086895/ |url-status=live}}
Career
Mosley appeared as Monk in Terminal Island (1973). Other actors in the feature were Phyllis Davis, Don Marshall, Ena Hartman, and Tom Selleck,{{cite news| newspaper=The New York Times| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914114125/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/49097/Terminal-Island/cast| archive-date=September 14, 2014| url=http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/49097/Terminal-Island/cast| department=Movies| title=Terminal Island (1973)| date=September 14, 2014}} who would later star in the television series Magnum, P.I. which would also feature Mosley.{{cite news| newspaper=The New York Times| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128010909/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/64436/Tom-Selleck| archive-date=November 28, 2013| url=http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/64436/Tom-Selleck| department=Movies & TV| title=Tom Selleck}} In 1974, Mosley founded the Watts Repertory Company.{{cite book| editor-first=Loki| editor-last=Radoslav| publisher=Pon Press| date=April 1, 2012| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dr23uAAACAAJ| title=Roger E. Mosley| isbn=978-6-1378-1742-1}}
Mosley's most prominent film role was his 1976 starring turn as the title character in Leadbelly, a biography of the musician directed by Gordon Parks.[http://www.visitbastroptx.com/#!leadbelly/zoom/cple/image1luz "Leadbelly 1976, starring Roger E. Mosley and Paul Benjamin, directed by Gordon Parks".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808172205/https://www.visitbastrop.com/#!leadbelly/zoom/cple/image1luz |date=August 8, 2022}}. Bastrop Visitor Center. In an article in the November 1982 issue of Ebony, Mosley said that this was his favorite role.{{cite news| magazine=Ebony| date=November 1982| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=29gDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Selleck+Mosley+Leadbelly&pg=PA84| page=85| title=Roger Mosley}}
Mosley appeared in Magnum, P.I. from 1980 to 1988. He had a role as Tom Selleck's friend, helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin, who operates his own tourist charter, Island Hoppers.Potts, Kim. [http://www.aoltv.com/where-are-they-now/magnum-p-i/ "'Magnum P.I.' Cast: Where Are They Now?"] Huffington Post TV. He later appeared in season five of Las Vegas as the billionaire friend of Montecito owner A.J. Cooper (Tom Selleck).{{cite news |title='Las Vegas' will seem like a 'Magnum, P.I.' reunion |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2007/aug/10/las-vegas-will-seem-like-a-magnum-pi-reunion/ |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=8 August 2022 |language=en |date=10 August 2007 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714221559/http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2007/aug/10/las-vegas-will-seem-like-a-magnum-pi-reunion/ |url-status=live}}
Mosley came out of retirement to appear on the Magnum, P.I. reboot episode "A Kiss Before Dying" as Booky, T.C.'s barber, on March 11, 2019.{{cite web| url=https://tvline.com/2019/02/21/magnum-p-i-original-series-tc-roger-mosley-guest-stars/| title=Magnum P.I. Welcomes Vet of Original Series: 'The Torch Has Been Passed'| last=Mitovich| first=Matt Webb| website=TVLine| date=February 21, 2019| access-date=March 14, 2019| archive-date=February 22, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222012212/https://tvline.com/2019/02/21/magnum-p-i-original-series-tc-roger-mosley-guest-stars/| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=https://www.cbs.com/shows/magnum-pi/video/WjL81Ym_uHwkPJSthBOjvBBAiVeStMi7/magnum-p-i-a-kiss-before-dying/| title=Watch Magnum P.I. Season 1 Episode 18: A Kiss Before Dying| website=CBS| access-date=March 14, 2019}} Actor Stephen Hill, who played T.C. in the new series, said, "It is truly an honor for us to welcome an original cast member of Magnum, P.I.; one who embodied the role of T.C. with such thoughtful and dignified talent."
Mosley guest-starred on such shows as Night Court,[https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/night-court-1991/episode-4-season-9/puppy-love/191688 "Episode Detail: Puppy Love – Night Court"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829162941/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/night-court-1991/episode-4-season-9/puppy-love/191688/ |date=August 29, 2018}}. TV Guide. Kung Fu, Starsky & Hutch, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Baretta, and Sanford and Son. He also played a role in Roots: The Next Generations. Mosley made a memorable appearance in the 1973 film The Mack{{cite web| url=http://www.tomselleck.de/magnum-p-i/roger-e-mosley/| title=tomselleck.de| website=www.tomselleck.de| access-date=September 14, 2014| archive-date=March 18, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318080216/http://tomselleck.de/| url-status=live}}{{dead link|date=May 2025}} as the militant brother of the main character Goldie.Cinephilia [http://show_movie.php?movieid=2202 "The Mack USA 1973"].{{dead link|date=May 2025}} He appeared in other blaxploitation films of the period, including Hit Man (1972); Sweet Jesus, Preacherman (1973); Darktown Strutters (1975); and The River Niger (1976).
Mosley's other film credits include McQ (1974) with John Wayne,{{cite book| title=John Wayne: Actor, Artist, Hero| first=Richard D.| last=McGhee| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIWS9KaWjZ0C&dq=Roger+E.+Mosley+Rosey&pg=PA365| chapter=Filmography| page=365| publisher=McFarland| date=October 15, 1999| isbn=978-0-7864-0752-1}} The Greatest (1977, as Sonny Liston), Semi-Tough (1977), Heart Condition (1990), and Pentathlon (1994).{{cite magazine| magazine=Jet| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=grkDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Roger+E+Mosley+Ray+Liotta&pg=PA62| page=62| title=Movies to see| date=July 6, 1992}} He also starred in the television series Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992–1993) as Coach Ricketts in a recurring role with comedian/actor Mark Curry, and in the film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) with Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield, and Bobby Brown.{{cite book| title=Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema| first1=Torriano S.| last1=Berry| first2=Venise T.| last2=Berry| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f3Iet2KatygC&dq=Roger+E.+Mosley+Martin+Lawrence&pg=PA335| page=335| chapter=Thin Line Between Love And Hate| publisher=Scarecrow Press| date=January 26, 2007| isbn=978-0-8108-6464-1}}
Additionally, he appeared as a celebrity guest on The $25,000 Pyramid for a week's worth of shows in July 1983, July 1984, and June 1985.{{cite journal| title=Roger E. Mosley| journal=Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television| volume=102| year=2010| publisher=Gale| url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1609027565/BIC?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-BIC&xid=6bb83e8d| access-date=August 8, 2022}}
Personal life
Mosley was married to Antoinette Laudermilk; they were together for nearly sixty years.{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Mike |title=Roger E. Mosley, Actor on 'Magnum, P.I.,' Dies at 83 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/roger-e-mosley-dead-magnum-1235194403/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=August 7, 2022 |access-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808164810/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/roger-e-mosley-dead-magnum-1235194403/ |url-status=live}}
Mosley became a certified private helicopter pilot. When making Magnum, P.I., he was not allowed to do his own stunts. A pilot wearing a body stocking with false muscles was used instead.{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-07-vw-16176-story.html| title=Helicopters Keep His Life in a Whirl: 'It's Like Flying a Plane, Except You . . . Go Sideways'| date=June 7, 1985| newspaper=Los Angeles Times| access-date=August 8, 2022| archive-date=July 25, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220725060652/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-07-vw-16176-story.html| url-status=live}} Mosley did not smoke, use drugs or drink alcohol, and insisted that his Magnum, P.I. character also did not.{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-62462141| title=Roger e. Mosley: Magnum P.I. Actor dies aged 83 after car crash| work=BBC News| date=August 8, 2022| access-date=August 8, 2022| archive-date=August 8, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808111813/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-62462141| url-status=live}}
At the 2013 HAI Heli-Expo in Las Vegas, a ceremony for the restored MD 500D helicopter was held. Both Mosley and fellow Magnum, P.I. co-star Larry Manetti autographed the nose of the helicopter.{{cite web| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030025914/http://www.policehelicopterpilot.com/police-helicopter-journal/2013/3/16/magnum-pi-helicopter-flies-again-in-hawaii| archive-date=October 30, 2014| title=Magnum PI Helicopter Flies Again In Hawaii| work=Police Helicopter Journal| url=http://www.policehelicopterpilot.com/police-helicopter-journal/2013/3/16/magnum-pi-helicopter-flies-again-in-hawaii| date=March 16, 2013}}
Car crash and death
On August 4, 2022, Mosley was involved in a major car crash in Lynwood, California, leaving him in critical condition, paralyzed from the shoulders down. He later died from his injuries on August 7, 2022, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at the age of 83.{{cite news |last1=Caruso |first1=Nick |title=Roger E. Mosley, Magnum, P.I.'s Theodore 'T.C.' Calvin, Dead at 83 — Reboot's Stephen Hill Reacts |url=https://tvline.com/2022/08/07/roger-e-mosley-magnum-pi-dead-dies-obituary/ |access-date=8 August 2022 |work=TVLine |date=7 August 2022 |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808140729/https://tvline.com/2022/08/07/roger-e-mosley-magnum-pi-dead-dies-obituary/ |url-status=live}}{{cite journal |last1=Rice |first1=Nicholas |title=Roger E. Mosley, TV and Film Actor Known for His Role on Magnum P.I., Dead at 83: 'Rest Easy' |journal=People |date=August 7, 2022 |url=https://people.com/tv/roger-e-mosley-magnum-pi-star-dead-at-83/ |access-date=August 8, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808172206/https://people.com/tv/roger-e-mosley-magnum-pi-star-dead-at-83/ |url-status=live}}
Filmography
{{Expand section|date=August 2022}}
=Film=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" | ||
| scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Title ! scope="col" |Role(s) | ||
|---|---|---|
| rowspan=3|1972 | The New Centurions | Truck Driver |
| Hickey & Boggs | ||
| Hit Man | Huey | |
| rowspan=3|1973 | The Mack | Olinga Mickens |
| Sweet Jesus, Preacherman | Holmes / Lee | |
| Terminal Island | Monk | |
| 1974 | McQ | Rosey |
| 1975 | Darktown Strutters | Mellow |
| rowspan=4|1976 | The River Niger | Big Moe Hayes |
| Stay Hungry | Newton | |
| Leadbelly | Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter | |
| Drum | Slave | |
| rowspan=3|1977 | The Greatest | Sonny Liston |
| Big Time | J.J. | |
| Semi-Tough | Puddin Patterson Sr. | |
| 1978 | Cruise Into Terror | Nathan |
| rowspan=2|1979 | The Jericho Mile | Cotton Crown |
| Steel | Lionel | |
| rowspan=2|1980 | Attica | Frank Green |
| Pray TV | Willie Washington/Leroy Washington | |
| 1981 | The White Lions | John Kani |
| 1990 | Heart Condition | Captain Wendt |
| 1992 | Unlawful Entry | Officer Roy Cole |
| 1994 | Pentathlon | John Creese |
| 1996 | A Thin Line Between Love and Hate | Smitty |
| 1998 | Letters from a Killer | Horton |
| rowspan=2|2000 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Carter |
| Hammerlock | Sgt. James Hammer |
=Partial television credits=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" | |||
| scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Title ! scope="col" |Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" |Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Cannon | Porter | Episode: "Death Is a Double-Cross" |
| 1972 | Sanford and Son | Norman Blood | Episode: "Blood is Thicker than Junk" |
| rowspan=2|1974 | Kojak | Stutz | Episode: "You Can't Tell a Hurt Man How to Holler" |
| Kung Fu | Seth | Episode: "In Uncertain Bondage" | |
| rowspan=4|1975 | McCloud | Dolan | Episode: "Return to The Alamo" |
| Switch | Walter | Episode: "Las Vegas Roundabout" | |
| The Rookies | Rawlins | Episode: "Dead Heat" | |
| Baretta | Det. Rudy Davis | Episode: "Sharper than a Serpent's Tooth" | |
| 1977 | The Rockford Files | Electric Larry | Episode: "Dirty Money, Black Light” |
| 1977 | Starsky & Hutch | The Baron | Episode: "The Set-Up: Part 2" |
| rowspan=2|1979 | Starsky & Hutch | Big Red McGee | Episode: "Huggy Can't Go Home" |
| I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | Bailey Sr. | TV movie | |
| 1980–1988 | Magnum, P.I. | Theodore 'TC' Calvin | 158 episodes |
| 1986 | Danger Bay | Hari Mubaru | Episode: "The Leopard's Spots" |
| 1987 | The Love Boat | Jeffrey T. Gilbert | Episode: "Who Killed Maxwell Thorn?" |
| 1992–1993 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Coach Ricketts | 10 episodes |
| rowspan=2|1994 | The Sinbad Show | Sgt. Al Beckley | Episode: "Adoption: Part 2" |
| RoboCop | Frank Uno | Episode: "Ghosts of War" | |
| rowspan=2|1996 | Women: Stories of Passion | Freddy | Episode: "The Boxer" |
| In the House | Buff | Episode: "To Die For" | |
| 1999–2000 | Rude Awakening | Milton 'Milt' Johnson | 20 episodes |
| 2001 | Arliss | Mudcat Burrell | Episode: "Like No Business I Know" |
| rowspan=2|2003 | What Should You Do? | Kidnapper | |
| The District | Temple's Father | Episode: "Bloodlines" | |
| 2007 | Las Vegas | Roger | Episode: "When Life Gives You Lemon Bars" |
| 2019; 2021 | Magnum P.I. | John Booky | 2 episodes |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lTSItCNN5w Roger E. Mosley Honored @ Crenshaw LIVE! 5/30/2018] (Video)#
- [https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-529-rb6vx07c6r Interview with Roger E. Mosley], KUT's In Black America series, on the American Archive of Public Broadcasting, May 1, 1984
- {{IMDb name|0608853|Roger E. Mosley}}
- {{Discogs artist|Roger E. Mosley}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosley, Roger E.}}
Category:Road incident deaths in California
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Male actors from Los Angeles
Category:American television directors
Category:21st-century African-American male actors
Category:21st-century American male actors