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Roscoe Orman | |
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 Orman at the 2007 Texas Book Festival | |
| Born | Roscoe Hunter Orman 11 June 1944 |
| Other names |
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| Education | High School of Art and Design |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1962–present |
| Notable work | Sesame Street |
| Spouse | Kimberley LaMarque Orman (m. 2012) |
| Partner | Sharon Orman (1970–2010) |
| Children | 4 |
Roscoe Hunter Orman (born June 11, 1944) is an American actor, writer, artist and child advocate, best known for playing Gordon Robinson, one of the central human characters on Sesame Street . [1]
While a student at New York City's High School of Art and Design, Orman made his theatrical debut in the 1962 topical revue "If We Grow Up." He was an early member of the Free Southern Theater in New Orleans for two years in the mid-1960s and a founding member of Robert Macbeth's New Lafayette Theatre in Harlem, NY, where he both acted in and directed several plays by NLT's playwright-in-residence, Ed Bullins. His many other stage appearances have included roles in "Julius Caesar" and "Coriolanus" at Joseph Papp's Public Theater, the Broadway production of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Fences", Manhattan Theatre Club's stagings of Richard Wesley's "The Sirens", "The Last Street Play", and "The Talented Tenth", and Matt Robinson's one-man play The Confessions of Stepin Fetchit at the American Place Theatre. Orman is the recipient of two Audelco Theatre Awards and a five-time nominee.
He made his feature film debut in the title role of Universal Studios' 1973 drama Willie Dynamite and has since appeared in F/X , Striking Distance , New Jersey Drive , Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird , Twilight's Last Gleaming , The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland , Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life , Holiday Rush , and You Can't Take My Daughter. His television credits include work on All My Children , Kojak , Sanford and Son , Cosby , Sex and the City , The Wire , Law & Order , and Law & Order: SVU . He appeared in the Garry Trudeau/Amazon streaming production Alpha House and the HBO mini-series The Night Of .
Orman joined the Sesame Street cast in 1974, becoming the third actor to play Gordon (after Matt Robinson, 1969–72, and Hal Miller, 1972–74).
In June 2006, Orman's memoir, Sesame Street Dad: Evolution of An Actor, was released. In September 2007, his children's book Ricky and Mobo was released.
On October 8, 2008, he became the Chief Storyteller of AudibleKids.com (a service of Audible.com), a website for parents, teachers, and children to connect with one another and download and listen to audiobooks on iPods, MP3 players, and computers. In this role, Orman narrates audiobooks and communicates with children, parents and teachers online and at events.[ citation needed ] His new role was announced at a community event at The Educational Alliance Boys & Girls Club in New York City, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office commended Orman's life work and willingness to embrace new technology to help encourage children to read books, by naming October 8, 2008, AudibleKids Day in New York City.[ citation needed ]
In 2016, his contract with Sesame Street was not renewed, as part of Sesame Workshop's retooling of the series, but the organization said that Orman would continue to represent it at public events. [2] [3] He returned to play Gordon in Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration along with a couple of YouTube videos released in 2018, a 2019 CNN town hall, Coming Together: Standing Up To Racism alongside former Sesame Street cast member Sonia Manzano, and a TV special released the same year, "The Power of We", also about racism. Roscoe Orman also returned as Gordon in a Season 54 episode, thus becoming the first original human cast member to rejoin Sesame Street since Season 46.
Orman has five children with his former partner Sharon Orman, [4] and is the grandfather of eight. His son Miles Orman played Gordon and Susan's adopted son Miles Robinson on Sesame Street from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. [5] He and his wife, Kimberley LaMarque Orman, reside in New Jersey. [4]
| Filmography | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1973 | Willie Dynamite | Willie | |
| 1974–2016; 2023 | Sesame Street | Gordon Robinson | 254 episodes |
| 1975 | Sanford and Son | Al Robinson | Episode: "Bank on This" |
| 1976 | All My Children | Tyrone | |
| 1977 | Kojak | Lieutenant Connors | Episode: "The Condemned" |
| Insight | Body Guard | Episode: "Leroy" | |
| 1978 | Christmas Eve on Sesame Street | Gordon Robinson | Television film |
| 1979 | Julius Caesar | Marcus Brutus | Direct-to-video |
| Coriolanus | Adrian | ||
| 1983 | Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art | Gordon Robinson | Television film |
| 1985 | Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird | ||
| 1986 | F/X | Captain Wallenger | |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Malcolm | Episode: "Hear No Evil" |
| Hard Time on Planet Earth | Captain Ralston | Episode: "Stranger in a Strange Land" | |
| 1991 | Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake | Gordon Robinson | Television film |
| 1993 | Striking Distance | Sid, Eddie Eiler's Partner | |
| Sesame Street Stays Up Late! | Gordon Robinson | Television film | |
| 1995 | New Jersey Drive | Judge | |
| 1996 | Elmo Saves Christmas | Gordon Robinson | Direct-to-video |
| 1997 | Drive by: A Love Story | Pops | Short film |
| 1998 | Elmopalooza! | Gordon Robinson | Television film |
| 1999 | The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland | Gordon Robinson | |
| Cosby | Mr. Mason | Episode: "Book 'Em, Griff O" | |
| 2000 | Lifeline | Narrator (voice) | Episode: "D.C. Children's Hospital" |
| 2001–2004 | Law & Order | Mr. Cameron, Trial Judge Alan Kiley | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Sex and the City | Train Waiter | Episode: "The Big Journey" |
| 2006 | 30 Days | Jo Jo | |
| 2007 | Coney Island | Boss | Short film |
| 2008 | The Wire | Officer Oscar Requer | 2 episodes |
| Compliments of the Serpent | Mike Stanton | Short | |
| 2008–2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Jerome Howard, Bryant Davis | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life | Dr. Grady | |
| 2012–2013 | Little Children, Big Challenges | Gordon Robinson | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Alpha House | Randall | Episode: "Hippo Issues" |
| 2016 | The Night Of | Jury Foreman | Episode: "The Call of the Wild" |
| 2018 | Blue Bloods | Ethan Goodwin | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| All These Small Moments | Dr. Rogers | ||
| New Amsterdam | Rodger Conway | Episode: "Three Dots" | |
| 2019 | Holiday Rush | Reginald Miller | |
| 2020 | You Can't Take My Daughter | McDevitt | Television film |
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Venue(s) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Bud, Not Buddy | Jimmy, etc. | Kennedy Center | [6] | |
| 2014 | Fetch Clay, Make Man | Stepin Fetchit | Round House Theatre | [7] | |
| The Fabulous Miss Marie | Bill | New Federal Theatre | [8] | ||
| 2012 | Jitney | Jim | Theatre Morgan | [9] | |
| 2010 | The Last Fall | Neville | Crossroads Theatre | [10] | |
| Driving Miss Daisy | Hoke | Fulton Theatre (PA) | [11] |
Aloysius Snuffleupagus, more commonly known as Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy for short, is one of the characters on Sesame Street, a PBS/HBO educational television program for young children. His head bears resemblances to giant anteaters and mammoths, but he has no tusks or (visible) ears. He also has a tail similar in shape to that of a dinosaur. He has thick, brown hair and a trunk, or "snuffle", that drags along the ground. Snuffy is also Big Bird's best friend, and has a younger sister named Alice.
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is a 1999 American musical adventure comedy film directed by Gary Halvorson from a screenplay written by Mitchell Kriegman and Joey Mazzarino, based on a story conceived by Kriegman. This was the second of the two theatrical feature films to be based on the children's television series Sesame Street, after Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird in 1985. It stars Mandy Patinkin and Vanessa Williams alongside Muppet performers Kevin Clash, Caroll Spinney, Steve Whitmire, and Frank Oz. It features songs written by a wide range of songwriters, including Siedah Garrett, Jeff Elmassian, Andy Rehfeldt, Martin Erskine, Seth Friedman, and Michael & Patty Silversher, with a score composed and conducted by John Debney.
Mr. Harold Hooper was one of the first four human characters to appear on the television series Sesame Street. Created by producer and writer Jon Stone, Mr. Hooper is the original proprietor of Hooper's Store, the neighborhood variety store and combination diner/corner store that serves as a place for Muppets and humans to meet and interact. Lee, a character actor and instructor was "perfectly cast" as Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper ranked first of all human characters of the show in recognition by young viewers. Mr. Hooper, who has been described as "slightly cranky but good-hearted" and "curmudgeonly", bridges the gap between the older generation and its young audience. Hooper's Store, "an idealized social institution", is an extension of his personality. He had a close relationship with the Muppet Big Bird.
Avenue Q is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody of Sesame Street, but its content involves adult-oriented themes. It has been praised for its approach to themes of racism, homosexuality and internet pornography.
Matthew Thomas Robinson Jr. was an American actor, writer and television producer. Robinson was the first actor to portray the character of Gordon Robinson on the PBS children's TV program Sesame Street. When Sesame Street began in 1969, not only did Robinson play Gordon, but he also provided the voice of the puppet Roosevelt Franklin and was one of the show's producers. He left the show in 1972. In later years, when producers needed a last name for the Gordon character, then played by Hal Miller and later Roscoe Orman, they used Matt's last name.
Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird is a 1985 American musical road comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis, and written by Tony Geiss and Judy Freudberg. Based on the children's television series Sesame Street created by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, it was the series' first theatrical feature-length film. It stars Muppet performers Caroll Spinney, Jim Henson and Frank Oz alongside Sandra Bernhard, John Candy, Chevy Chase, Joe Flaherty, Waylon Jennings, and Dave Thomas with Sesame Street regulars Linda Bove, Emilio Delgado, Loretta Long, Sonia Manzano, Bob McGrath, Roscoe Orman, Alaina Reed, and Kermit Love in supporting roles and the voices of Laraine Newman, Brian Hohlfeld, Cathy Silvers, Eddie Deezen, and Sally Kellerman.
Robert Emmett McGrath was an American actor, singer, and children's author best known for playing original human character and music teacher Bob Johnson on the educational television series Sesame Street from 1969 to 2016.
Alaina Reed Hall was an American actress and singer who portrayed Olivia Robinson, Gordon's younger sister, on the PBS children's television series Sesame Street, and Rose Lee Holloway on the NBC sitcom 227.
Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director. He resisted playing stereotypically black roles, instead performing in several productions with New York City's Shakespeare Festival Theater, Leland Hayward's satirical NBC series That Was the Week That Was, and a poetry performance tour of the United States in addition to his work in television and film. He is perhaps best known for his many guest appearances on TV series from the 1970s and 1980s as well as movies like The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne.
William Lee was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hooper's Store. He was one of the four original human characters on Sesame Street, from the show's debut in November 1969 until his death on December 7, 1982, at the age of 74.
Emilio Ernest Delgado was an American actor best known for his role as Luis, the Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series Sesame Street. He joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1971 and remained until his contract was not renewed, in late 2016, as part of Sesame Workshop's retooling of the series.
Carlo Albán is an Ecuadorian actor, best known as "Carlo" from Sesame Street (1993–98). He played the role of Luis "McGrady" Gallego on Prison Break (2007–08). He has since gone on to perform in a variety of mediums, including plays and television shows.
Robert Cuccioli is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the lead dual title roles in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, for which he received a Tony Award nomination and won the Joseph Jefferson Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the Fany Award for outstanding actor in a musical.
Loretta Mae Long is an American actress. She played the character of Susan Robinson on Sesame Street from 1969 to 2016. Long is also a consultant and public speaker on issues of multiculturalism and education.
Santino Fontana is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 2006 playing Hamlet at the Guthrie Theater. He has received a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Obie Award, and Clarence Derwent Award. In 2019, Fontana won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his lead performance as Michael Dorsey in the stage adaptation of Tootsie. In addition to his stage and TV work, Fontana voiced Prince Hans in Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen.
The Robinson family is a fictional family in the children's television series Sesame Street. The family consists of high school science teacher Gordon and his wife, Susan, a nurse. Later, the family expands to include their adopted son, Miles, as well as Gordon's sister, Olivia, his father, Mr. Robinson, and a brother. As African Americans, the family was created as leads for the show, originally targeted to underprivileged inner city children. Even as human roles were slowly reduced over the years, their characters maintained a constant presence.
A wide variety of characters have appeared on the American children's television series Sesame Street. Many of the characters are Muppets, which are puppets made in Jim Henson's distinctive puppet-creation style. Most of the non-Muppet characters are human characters, but there are many characters that are animated.
Brian Hutchison is an American actor based in New York City. He has appeared on such network shows as Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary, Chicago Med, Jessica Jones, Elementary, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Godfather of Harlem, The Sinner, FBI: Most Wanted and Lisey's Story.
Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration is a 2019 musical television special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street. Hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the special aired on November 9, 2019, on HBO, followed by a November 17 airing on PBS. It stars the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, including Kermit the Frog, from the past and present. Many retired cast members and characters reunited on the street for the first time in years since their last appearances. This is the final Sesame Street special to feature long-time Muppet performer Caroll Spinney, who performed Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for 50 years as well as the cast members Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath, who played Luis and Bob, respectively, for 45 years.
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