| Had featured role in the musical "My One and Only" |
| Starred in August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" in Los Angeles |
| Taught French and comparative literature at Lincoln University |
| Was member of Long Wharf Theatre Company in New Haven, CT |
1952 | Worked as national sales representative for Shenley Import Corp. |
1956 | Made stage acting debut in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of "Julius Caesar" |
1961 | Starred in an English-language version of Jean Genet's play "The Blacks" |
1962 | Feature acting debut, "The Connection" |
1963 | Played Babu in "Benito Cereno" in New York |
1965 | Reprised stage role in TV version of "Benito Cereno" |
1966 | Made stage directing debut, "A Hand is On the Gate: An Evening of Negro Poetry and Folk Music" starring Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones; also co-starred and wrote |
1969 | Portrayed a spy in the Alfred Hitchcock feature "Topaz" |
1972 | Had a memorable guest role as a snobbish black lawyer trapped in an elevator with bigot Archie Bunker in an episode of "All in the Family" (CBS) |
1975 | Co-starred in TV series "McCoy" (NBC) |
1978 | Made TV-movie debut, "Dr. Scorpion" |
1979 | Played the neighbor in the CBS TV series "Miss Winslow and Son" |
1979 | Replaced Robert Guillaume as the butler on the ABC sitcom "Soap" |
1986 | Won an Emmy for a guest role as Professor Foster on "The Cosby Show" (NBC) |
1988 | Played recurring role on CBS primetime soap "Falcon Crest" |
1992 | Starred on Broadway in "Two Trains Running" by August Wilson; nominated for a Tony Award |
1995 | Narrated hit movie "Babe" |
2000 | Portrayed Polonius in Campbell Scott's version of "Hamlet" for the Odyssey TV network |
2004 | Guest-starred on an episode of "Will and Grace" (NBC) |
2007 | Narrated "Epic Movie," a comedic satire of films |
