OHARA/ABC/1987-88 **(Madge Sinclair) Gussie Lemmons, a black
restaurant owner and friend of Ohara, an oriental police detective who
frequented her Los Angeles establishment.
ON OUR OWN/ABC/1994-95 *(Ralph Louis Harris/costar) Josh Jerrico, a
restaurant manager and eldest sibling of a group of black orphans who
masqueraded in drag as Aunt Jelcinda to fool Children's Services in
keeping his family together. Other Jerrico family members included JoJo
Smollett as Jimi; Jazz Smollett as Jai; Jussie Smollett as Jesse; Jurnee
Smollett as Jordee; Jake Smollett as Joe; and Jocqui Smollett as baby
Jarreau. The six younger Jerrico children were played by the Smollett
clan, a New York-based rap/R&B musical family.
ONE IN A MILLION/ABC/1980 *(Shirley Hemphill) Shirley Simmons, a black
female cab driver who inherited control of a multi-million dollar
corporation upon the death of one of her faithful customers.
ONE WORLD/NBC/1998-2001 **(Harvey Silver) Neal Smith, a black teenager adopted
into a multi-racial family supervised by caucasian Dave Blake and his wife
Karen. Neal is a natural genius, introspective and has good problem
solving abilities that everyone seems to ignore. Actor Harry Silver was
actually raised in a foster care system and lived in a group home.
OPEN ALL NIGHT/ABC/1981-82 **(Bubba Smith) Robin, a towering black night
manager of a "364" convenience store (they only closed on Christmas).
THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW/SYN/1986+ *(Oprah Winfrey) Oprah Winfrey, a talented black
female talk show hostess who took her Chicago based program into national
syndication in 1986. On February 9, 1987, she broadcast her show to
Forsyth County, Georgia, the scene of a much publicized protest march
against segregation. Oprah Winfrey earned critical acclaimed for her role
in the movie The Color Purple (1985).
ORLEANS/CBS/1997 **(Vanessa Bell Calloway) Rosalee Clark, black
female District Attorney working with an white eccentric Louisiana judge
in the city of New Orleans.
THE OTHERS/NBC/2000 *(Bill Cobb/costar) Elmer Greentree, a black
psychic/medium who leads a group that investigates the paranormal. Bill Cobbs was
born in Cleveland. He worked as an Air Force radar technician for eight
years, toiled at IBM in office products and sold cars before heading to
New York to begin a career as an actor. He also held regular roles on the
TV series I’LL FLY AWAY, THE ‘SLAP’ MAXWELL STORY and THE GREGORY HINES
SHOW.
OUT ALL NIGHT/NBC/1992-93 *(Patti LaBelle) Chelsea Paige, former black
singing star who owns a trendy Los Angeles night club and apartment
building. Other cast include Morris Chestnut as Jeff Carswell Paige‘s
young manager-trainee and tenant; Duane Martin as Vidal Thomas, Jeff’s
buddy and fellow apartment dweller; and Vivica A. Fox as Charisse
Chamberlain, Chelsea’s daughter, a successful fashion stylist
OUT OF THE BLUE/ABC/1979 **(Hannah Dean) Gladys, a black housekeeper for a
Chicago family of five orphans being raised by their aunt and an inept
angel sent from heaven to help them out.
THE OUTCASTS/ABC/1968-69 *(Otis Young/co-star) Jemal David, an ex-slave
turned bounty hunter teamed with white Virginia aristocrat turned
gunfighter in this post civil war western drama.
OUTLAWS/CBS/1986-87 *(Richard Roundtree/co-star) Isaiah "Ice" McAdams,
a black outlaw from the year 1899 who was zapped to the year 1987 when a
lightning bolt hit him and his fellow outlaws who had just robbed a bank
near Houston, Texas. Isaiah and his fellow time travelers used the gold
from their robbery to open up a private detective agency in modern day
Houston.
OZZIE'S GIRLS/SYN/1973 *(Brenda Sykes/costar) Brenda MacKenzie, a black
college coed sharing living space with a young white women at the home of
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, parents of David and Ricky from the classic
situation comedy THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET/ABC/1952-66.
