Bill Nunn
| Bill Nunn | |
|---|---|
 Nunn in the play Fences | |
| Born |
William Goldwyn Nunn III October 20, 1953 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Died |
September 24, 2016 (aged 62) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Cause of death | Leukemia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1988–2016 |
| Spouse(s) | Donna Nunn |
| Children | 2 |
William Goldwyn "Bill" Nunn III (October 20, 1953 – September 24, 2016) was an American actor known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing and Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy.
Early life
Nunn was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of William G. Nunn, Jr., a well-known journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as a National Football League scout.[1] His paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School.[2] While ball boys for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Nunn and current Steelers President Art Rooney II stole "Mean" Joe Greene's car during training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. "Joe Greene showed up in a beautiful green Lincoln Continental, and me and Bill Nunn, Jr. were ball boys. Somehow Bill got the keys one night and we decided to take it for a ride. We only told Joe that story about 10 years ago. We figured that enough time had passed that we could disclose our little joy ride."[3] Nunn was a 1970 graduate of Schenley High School and Morehouse College (Class of 1976).[4]
Career
Nunn made his acting debut in the 1988 Spike Lee film School Daze, and is best known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Lee's Do the Right Thing and as Nino Brown's bodyguard Duh Duh Duh Man in New Jack City.
Some of his other film credits include Lee's Mo' Better Blues and He Got Game, as well as Regarding Henry, Sister Act, Canadian Bacon, The Last Seduction, Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead, New Jack City, Runaway Jury, Spider-Man trilogy (as Joseph "Robbie" Robertson), Firehouse Dog, the television series The Job, Randy and The Mob, and the televised adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun. 2016.[5]
Death
Nunn died on September 24, 2016 in his family’s home in Pittsburgh's Hill District, at the age of 62.[6] His widow Donna acknowledged to the Associated Press that he had leukemia.[7]
Select filmography
- Sharky's Machine (1981) as Kitten's Bouncer (uncredited)
- School Daze (1988) as Grady
- Do the Right Thing (1989) as Radio Raheem
- Glory (1989) (uncredited)
- Def by Temptation (1990) as Dougy
- Cadillac Man (1990) as Grave Digger
- Mo' Better Blues (1990) as Bottom Hammer (Bass)
- New Jack City (1991) as Duh Duh Duh Man
- Regarding Henry (1991) as Bradley, Physical Therapist
- White Lie (1991) as Chief Adams
- Sister Act (1992) as Eddie Souther
- Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) as Police Photographer
- Blood Brothers (1993) as William Crawford
- The Last Seduction (1994) as Harlan
- Save Me (1994) as Det. Vincent
- Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) as Reverend Ellis
- Canadian Bacon (1995) as Kabral
- Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995) as Easy Wind
- True Crime (1995) as Detective Jerry Guinn
- The Affair (1995) as Sgt. Rivers
- Money Train (1995) as Crash Train Motorman
- New York Undercover (TV Series) (1995) as Lt. Carver
- Touched by an Angel (TV series) (1996) as Frank Champness
- Bulletproof (1996) as Finch
- Extreme Measures (1996) as Det. Bob Burke
- Quicksilver Highway (1997) as Len
- Kiss The Girls (1997) as Det. John Sampson
- Mad City (1997) as Cliff Williams (uncredited)
- Ellen Foster (1997) as Mr. Douglas
- Always Outnumbered (1998) as Howard M'Shalla
- He Got Game (1998) as Uncle Bubba
- Ambushed (1998) as Watts Fatboy
- The Legend of 1900 (1999) as Danny Boodman
- The Tic Code (1999) as Kingston
- Passing Glory (1999) as Howard Porter
- Foolish (1999) as Jimmy Beck
- The Hungry Bachelors Club (1999) as Moses Grady
- Lockdown (2000) as Charles
- The Job (TV series) (2001–2002) as Terrence 'Pip' Phillips
- The Substitute 4: Failure Is Not An Option (2001) as Luther
- Spider-Man (2002) as Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
- People I Know (2002) as The Reverend Lyle Blunt
- Runaway Jury (2003) as Lonnie Shaver
- Spider-Man 2 (2004) as Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
- Out There"[8] (2006) as Desmond
- Idlewild (2006) as GW
- Firehouse Dog (2007) as Joe Musto
- Spider-Man 3 (2007) as Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson
- Randy and the Mob (2007) as Wardlowe Gone
- A Raisin in the Sun (2008) as Bobo
- Little Bear and the Master (2008) as Warden
- Fences (2009)
- Help Me, Help You (2009) as Detective
- Won't Back Down (2012) as Principal Holland
- Sirens (TV series) (2014-2015) as Cash (Last appearance)
References
- ↑ Official site of the Pittsburgh Steelers; accessed September 24, 2016.
- ↑ Finder, Chuck (2006-07-24). "Q&A". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ↑ Prisuta, Mike (2015-07-26). "2015 Training Camp is underway". Archived from the original on 2016-02-24.
- ↑ "Morehouse Celebrates 143 Years". Morehouse College. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ↑ Mcshane, Larry. "Bill Nunn, Radio Raheem in 'Do the Right Thing,' dies at 63". NY Daily News. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ↑ Stack, Liam (September 24, 2016). "Bill Nunn, Who Played Radio Raheem in 'Do the Right Thing,' Dies at 63". nytimes.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ↑ Lord, Rich. "Actor Bill Nunn dies". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473502/