Calvin Lockhart(1934-2007)
- Actor
- Director
Bahamian-born Calvin Lockhart first caught moviegoers' attention in the
supercharged urban films
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
and Halls of Anger (1970) before
becoming a fairly steady fixture in the "blaxploitation" movies of the
early-to-mid-1970s.
Born Bert Cooper to a large family in Nassau on October 18, 1934, he
was raised there before moving to New York in his late teens with
initial designs on becoming a civil engineer (Cooper Union School of
Engineering). Dropping out after a year to pursue an acting career,
Calvin worked as a carpenter and construction worker, among other odd
jobs. He first studied with legendary coach
Uta Hagen and then hit the New York theater
boards. The story goes that he was discovered by playwright
Ketti Frings while working as a taxi
driver. She was so impressed with his arrogance that she cast him in
her play "The Cool World" in 1960. From there Calvin drummed up
interest via a bit of controversy on Broadway when he played a sailor
in love with a white girl in the racially-themed "A Taste of Honey"
starring Angela Lansbury.
Serious film and TV roles for black actors were scarce at that time, so
Calvin moved to Europe. In Italy he owned a restaurant and formed his
own theater company, serving as both actor and director. He also lived
in Germany before settling in England. He starting building up film
credits with minor work in such British movies as
A Dandy in Aspic (1968) and
Only When I Larf (1968). He made
news in another racially-motivated project entitled
Joanna (1968), which centered around a
"mod", interracial romance with
'Genevieve Waite'.
Returning to the US with a stronger resume, he made a distinct early
impression as a slick preacher bent on fraud in the hip cop flick
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
and as an English teacher in the inner-city potboiler
Halls of Anger (1970). He also
involved himself in such black action features as
Melinda (1972),
Honeybaby, Honeybaby (1974)
and The Baron (1977). Similar in
charismatic style and intelligence to
Sidney Poitier, the famed actor-director
was impressed enough to cast Calvin in his broad comedy vehicles
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
and Let's Do It Again (1975).
Calvin could also play fey upon request, camping it up briefly in
Myra Breckinridge (1970).
During this rich period he also became an artist-in-residence with the
Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford (the first black actor so
honored) and appeared prestigiously in such productions as "Titus
Andronicus" (1972).
Calvin's career grew lackluster, however, by the end of the decade,
resorting to trivial guest parts in such TV shows as
Good Times (1974) and
Get Christie Love! (1974).
He landed a recurring role on the nighttime soap
Dynasty (1981) in the early '80s.
In 1974, Calvin married a woman also from the West Indies and had three
children. After his career subsided, he decided to return to his
homeland in the mid '90s and resettled in Nassau with his fourth wife,
Jennifer Miles. There he involved himself with the Freeport Players
Guild as a director. He also returned to films after a 15-year absence,
completing Rain (2008), a movie shot in
the Bahamas, shortly before he suffered a major stroke. Calvin died of
complications on March 29, 2007, and his family is in the process of
establishing a scholarship fund in his name for Bahamian student
pursuing an acting or filmmaking career.
supercharged urban films
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
and Halls of Anger (1970) before
becoming a fairly steady fixture in the "blaxploitation" movies of the
early-to-mid-1970s.
Born Bert Cooper to a large family in Nassau on October 18, 1934, he
was raised there before moving to New York in his late teens with
initial designs on becoming a civil engineer (Cooper Union School of
Engineering). Dropping out after a year to pursue an acting career,
Calvin worked as a carpenter and construction worker, among other odd
jobs. He first studied with legendary coach
Uta Hagen and then hit the New York theater
boards. The story goes that he was discovered by playwright
Ketti Frings while working as a taxi
driver. She was so impressed with his arrogance that she cast him in
her play "The Cool World" in 1960. From there Calvin drummed up
interest via a bit of controversy on Broadway when he played a sailor
in love with a white girl in the racially-themed "A Taste of Honey"
starring Angela Lansbury.
Serious film and TV roles for black actors were scarce at that time, so
Calvin moved to Europe. In Italy he owned a restaurant and formed his
own theater company, serving as both actor and director. He also lived
in Germany before settling in England. He starting building up film
credits with minor work in such British movies as
A Dandy in Aspic (1968) and
Only When I Larf (1968). He made
news in another racially-motivated project entitled
Joanna (1968), which centered around a
"mod", interracial romance with
'Genevieve Waite'.
Returning to the US with a stronger resume, he made a distinct early
impression as a slick preacher bent on fraud in the hip cop flick
Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
and as an English teacher in the inner-city potboiler
Halls of Anger (1970). He also
involved himself in such black action features as
Melinda (1972),
Honeybaby, Honeybaby (1974)
and The Baron (1977). Similar in
charismatic style and intelligence to
Sidney Poitier, the famed actor-director
was impressed enough to cast Calvin in his broad comedy vehicles
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
and Let's Do It Again (1975).
Calvin could also play fey upon request, camping it up briefly in
Myra Breckinridge (1970).
During this rich period he also became an artist-in-residence with the
Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford (the first black actor so
honored) and appeared prestigiously in such productions as "Titus
Andronicus" (1972).
Calvin's career grew lackluster, however, by the end of the decade,
resorting to trivial guest parts in such TV shows as
Good Times (1974) and
Get Christie Love! (1974).
He landed a recurring role on the nighttime soap
Dynasty (1981) in the early '80s.
In 1974, Calvin married a woman also from the West Indies and had three
children. After his career subsided, he decided to return to his
homeland in the mid '90s and resettled in Nassau with his fourth wife,
Jennifer Miles. There he involved himself with the Freeport Players
Guild as a director. He also returned to films after a 15-year absence,
completing Rain (2008), a movie shot in
the Bahamas, shortly before he suffered a major stroke. Calvin died of
complications on March 29, 2007, and his family is in the process of
establishing a scholarship fund in his name for Bahamian student
pursuing an acting or filmmaking career.