DALLAS/CBS/1978-91 **(Pat Colbert) Dora Mae, an attractive black hostess who helped seat
the rich and treacherous at the Oil Baron's Club located in Dallas, Texas.
Her most popular patron was J. R. Ewing, a white oil millionaire who
always asked her for the "usual, Darlin'."
DANGEROUS MINDS/ABC/1996-7
**(Tamala Jones) Callie Timmons, one of a number of black teenagers
facing their troubles at an inner-city high school with the aid of a white
ex-marine female teacher. Also featured was Vicellous Reon Shannon as
student Cornelius Hawkins.
DANGEROUS CURVES/CBS/1992-93
*(Michael Michelle/costar) Holly Williams, black female private
security operative working in Dallas with Gina McKay, her Caucasian female
partner.
DANIEL BOONE/NBC/1964-70
**(Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier) Gabe Cooper, a runaway slave living with
the Indians and friend of frontiersman Daniel Boone during the 1969-70
season of this western series. During the 1968-69 season, the
American-Indian Mingo character was replaced by a Negro Indian named
Gideon (played by Don Pedro Colley).
THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW/ABC/CBS/1953-1965
**(Amanda Randolph) Louise, a black housemaid for a nightclub
entertainer, Danny Thomas, his wife and family of three children. Rosey
Grier starred as Danny Thomas' piano accompanist when the series was
revived shortly under the title MAKE ROOM FOR GRANDDADDY/ABC/1970-71.
DARIA/MTV/1997-2001
*(Cartoon character) Jodie Abigail Landon (voice of Jessica Cydnee
Jackson), a smart perfectionist black teen
involved in extracurricular student activities like the yearbook project
at Lawndale High School. Jodie’s siblings are Rachel Landon and Evan
Landon. Mack Jordan MacKenzie is Jodie's intelligent black boyfriend and
captain of the football team. Both Jodie and Mack are friends of Daria
Morgendorfer, the series lead character.
DAVE'S WORLD/CBS/1993-97
**(Meschah Taylor) Dr. Sheldon Baylor, a black divorced plastic
surgeon friend of a white Miami-based humor columnist.
THE DAYS AND NIGHTS OF MOLLY DODD/NBC/LIF/1987-91
**(Richard Lawson) Nathaniel Hawthorne, a black New York City police
detective who fell in love with a red-headed white woman named Molly Dodd.
Nate later died when he accidentally ate shrimp, a sea food to which he
had a deadly allergy. Molly bore his child during the 1991 season.
THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES/NBC/1965+
**(Renee Jones) Nikki Wade, 19 year-old black girl who appeared on
this day time soap-opera in 1984. Later co-star with Isabel Sanford on the
syndicated comedy HONEYMOON HOTEL/1987.
DEA: SPECIAL TASK FORCE/FOX/1990-91
*(Byron Keith Minns/co-star) Jimmy Sanders, a black undercover agent
working with a team of operatives from the Drug Enforcement Agency.
DEAR JOHN/NBC/1988-92
**(Olivia Brown) Denise, a black female who joined a neighborhood
support group to help deal with her husband's problems of adjusting to her
sexy figure. Her character was introduced during the 1990-91 season.
DESIGNING WOMEN/CBS/1986-93
**(Meshach Taylor) Anthony Bouvier, a young black man and former
convict from the Dunbar Correctional Institute for Men who was hired by a
group of white female interior designers to deliver furniture/supplies for
their Atlanta based business. He later became one of their partners.
Olivia Brown played Vanessa, his girlfriend during the 1989-90 seasons.
Anthony later married a beautiful showgirl name Etienne Toussant Bouvier
(Sheryl Lee Ralph) who worked at the Tropicana Resort and Casino. Etienne
called Anthony, "Tony, 'cause he's my tiger".
DETECTIVE SCHOOL/ABC/1979
**(LaWanda Page) Charlene Jenkins, a black women attending night
classes at Nick Hannigan's detective school where she hoped to be taught
the tricks of the trade used by private investigators.
DIAGNOSIS MURDER/CBS/1993-2001
**(Victoria Rowell) Dr. Amanda Bentley-Livingston, a black resident
physician working at Community General Hospital in Los Angeles who
specialized in pathology. She married a man named Colin Livingston but
later got divorced. He died in a plane crash soon after. Their union gave
birth to a little boy named C. J. [Colin Jesse] Livingston.
THE DIAHANN CARROLL SHOW/CBS/1976
*(Diahann Carroll) Musical variety series hosted by black
singer-actress Diahann Carroll.
DIFF'RENT STROKES/NBC/1978-86
*(Gary Coleman & Todd Bridges/co-stars) Arnold & Willis Jackson, two
black youths from Harlem who were adopted by a wealthy white man after
their mother (his housekeeper) died.
A DIFFERENT WORLD/NBC/1987-93
*(Lisa Bonet) Denise Huxtable, the 19-year-old daughter of black
physician Heathcliff Huxtable and his attorney wife, Clair. After Denise
graduated from high school she enrolled at Hillman College, a mostly black
institution which bother her father and grandfather had attended. Also
featured were Dawnn Lewis as Jaleesa, Denise's 26-year-old divorcee
roommate; Whitley Gilbert as Jasmine Guy an snobbish black Southern Belle;
Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Wayne, a cool math major; Darryl Bell as Ron
Johnson, Dwayne's best friend; Sinbad as coach/counselor Walter Oakes, who
ran the local community center; Charnelle Brown as Kim Reese; Jada Pinkett
as Lena James; Ajai Sanders as Gina Devereaux; Cree Summer as Freddie
Brooks; Joe Morton as Senator Byron Douglas III, a Hillman alumnus;
Patrick Y. Malone as Terrell; Karen Malina White as Charmiane Brown; and
Glynn Turman as Col. Clayton Taylor (aka "Dr. War"), the math professor.
DISNEY PRESENTS THE 100 LIVES OF BLACK JACK SAVAGE/NBC/1991
*(Steven Williams/costar) Black Jack Savage, a black 17th century
pirate whose spirit still roamed his castle on the small Caribbean Island
of San Pietro. To earn his way into heaven, Black Jack needed to save 100
lives from perdition (one life for every one he took as a pirate).
THE DISTRICT/CBS/2000-04 **(Lynne Thigpen) Ella Mae
Farmer, a black computer statistics
analysis expert working with newly hired white police chief, Jack Mannion
who plans to clean up DC's crime-ridden streets. Ella and Mannion utilizes COMSTAT, a Geographical Information System (GIS) that
tracks/maps crime by analyzing statistics that predict possible
hot spots of criminal activity. Other cast
included Detective Chief Joe Noland (an African-American who was in the running for Mannion‘s job);
and Temple Page, a black Officer/Detective.
TRIVIA NOTE: Actress Lynne Thigpen died in her Los Angeles home on March
12, 2003. She was 54 years old. She is credited with over 47 television
like PBS shows Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? and
Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? She won a 1997 Tony Award for her
work in the show An American Daughter and was nominated for a Tony
for her performance in Tintypes. and won Obie Awards for her roles
in the off-Broadway productions of "Jar the Floor" and "Boesman and Lena."
DOCTOR, DOCTOR/CBS/1989-91
**(Julius J. Carey III) Abraham Butterfield, a black physician and
business partner at a medical clinic based in Providence, Rhode Island.
DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN/CBS/1993-98
**(Jonelle Allen) Grace, a black woman, owner of Grace's Cafe, and
wife and mom living in the frontier town of Colorado Springs in the 1860s.
Also featured was Henry G. Sanders as Robert E., Graces's husband and the
town's blacksmith.
DOOGIE HOWSER, M.D./ABC/1989-93
**(Marcus Redmond) Raymond "Ray" Alexander, a streetwise black
hospital orderly who was befriended by white teenage physician, Doogie
Howser. Ray had previously been involved in the robbery of a convenience
store during the first season.
DOUBLE DARE/CBS/1985
*(Billy Dee Williams) Billy Diamond, a master thief and burglar
arrested by the San Francisco police and given the choice of working
undercover for them or going to jail. The series was a black version of
the adventure series IT TAKES A THIEF/ABC/1968-70.
DOUBLE RUSH/CBS/1995
*(D. L. Hughley/costar) Marlon, a black New York City bicycle
messenger service worker and family man with a "legendary" ability to con
people.
DOWNTOWN/CBS/1986-87
**(Blair Underwood) Terry Corsaro, a young black runaway and former
pickpocket supervised by ex-Los Angeles cop turned parole officer.
DREAM ON/HBO/FOX/1989-96
**(Dorien Wilson) Eddie Charles, a black talk show host of "The Eddie
Charles Show" based in New York City. Eddie was the friend of a
day-dreaming white book editor.
THE DREW CAREY SHOW/ABC/1995-2003
**(Kelly Perine) Chuck, the overzealous black security guard working
at the Winfred-Louder Department Store in Cleveland, Ohio. Once Chuck
cornered an elderly woman he suspected of shoplifting and warned her
"Don't make me go Medieval on you!" Despite Chuck’s sometimes impetuous
nature, the store’s Assistant Director of Personnel Drew Carey admitted “I
like him. Most guys are like a frustrated ‘Dirty Harry”. He’s
like...Barney Miller.” Living next door to Drew Carey are Janet and Greg
Clemens (Rachel True and Keith Diamond), a married black couple who
occasionally interact with their white neighbor. Once when Drew needed
money to upgrade his garage-based microbrewery business, Greg invested in
the project. Another time Drew sold a part of his back yard for $5000, so
that Greg had enough yard space to corral a new horse. Mark Curry was
introduced as Mr. Soulard, the new store executive on January 5, 2000
Episode #114 "Drew and the Racial Tension Play" when Winfred-Louder
employees revolt after a board member makes racial comments. Wanda Sykes
appeared as Christine Watson, the store's new efficiency expert who
had a brief affair with coworker Drew Carey on episodes 164-167 during the
seventh season.
THE DUCK FACTORY/NBC/1984
**(Clarence Gilyard, Jr.) Ronald Culp, a black cartoon animator
working for a rundown Hollywood studio that produced "The Dippy Duck
Show."
DUE SOUTH/CBS/1994-98
**(Tony Craig) Det. Jack Huey, a black Chicago policeman teamed with
and Italian partner Det. Louis Guardino. Together they were referred to
"Huey and Dewey." The two interacted with a Canadian Mountie and his
Italian partner Ray Vecchio.
DYNASTY/ABC/1981-89
**(Diahann Carroll) Dominique Deveraux, distant black relative of the
white Carrington family with possible claims to the Carrington fortune who
purported to be Blake Carrington's sister beginning with the 1984-87
seasons. Diahann Carroll remarked she wanted to be the first "Black Bitch"
on television-along the lines of Alexis Carrington (played by Joan
Collins). The fall of 1986 introduced Richard Dawson as Nick Kimball, a
black business associate of Blake Carrington and romantic interest of
Dominique Deveraux.
