RACHEL GUNN, R.N./FOX/1992 **(Dan Tullis, Jr.) Dane Grey, a black orderly
working at the Nebraska-based Little Innocent’s Hospital. Dan wanted to
become a nurse, but first he had to conquer his fear of the sight of
blood. Kathleen Mitchell also appeared as the perky Sister Joan who
ministered to the patients and staff at the hospital.
RAWHIDE/CBS/1958-66 **(Raymond St. Jacques) Simon Blake, a black
cattle drover working on the Sedalia trail in Kansas of the 1800's.
Raymond St. Jacques became the first black to be featured regularly on a
western series He appeared during the 1965-66 season.
READING RAINBOW/PBS/1983+ *(LeVar Burton) Levar Burton, hosted this
children's program which focused on stories based on children's books.
LeVar Burton gained national notoriety when he starred as the slave Kunte
Kinte on the blockbuster miniseries ROOTS/ABC/1977 and his later role as
Geordi La Forge, a starship officer on the syndicated science fiction
series STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.
THE REAL STORY/NBC/1991 *(Cassandra Clayton) Cassandra Clayton was co-host
with Boyd Matson for this two hour newsmagazine show. The program focused
on such topics as the failed Soviet coup, animals rights, and fashion
trends.
RENEGADES/ABC/1983 **(Randy Brooks) Eagle, tough, black gang leader
(Chiefs Gang) who teamed with six other street gang leaders (under the
supervision of a big city cop) to form a group of crime fighting youths.
REPORT TO MURPHY/CBS/1982 *(Olivia Cole/co-star) Blanche, a black female
supervisor to a young white parole officer named Murphy. Olivia Cole had
previously played Mathilda on the 1977 ROOTS miniseries aired on ABC
network, and had the starring role of Maggie Rogers, one of the black
servants assigned to the Presidential families (Taft to Eisenhower) on the
NBC miniseries Backstairs At The White House (1979).
RESCUE 77/WB/1999 *(Richard Roundtree/costar) Captain Durfee, black
supervisor for Fire Station No. 77 in Los Angeles.
REWIND/FOX/1997 *(Mystro Clark/costar) Black single guy from
Philadelphia struggling to make it socially and professionally along with
a white childhood friend. The show is filled with flashbacks to both their
teenage years in the 1970s (played by Milo Ventimiglia and DeJuan Guy).
RHYTHM & BLUES/NBC/1992 *(Anna Maria Horsford) Veronica Washington, black
owner of WBLZ, an all-black Detroit radio station inherited from her late
husband. (his ashes were kept in an urn behind her desk). Radio station
regulars included Ron Glass as sales manager Don Philips; Troy Curvey Jr.
as the beefy deejay “The Love Man”; Vanessa Bell Calloway as program
director Colette Hawkins; Miguel A. Nunez, Jr. as deejay Jammin;
Christopher Babers as Veronica’s young son Earl “Ziggy” Washington (who
fancies himself Jamaican); and Roger Kabler as Bobby Soul, the stations
token white accidentally hired sight unseen based on his hip audition
tape.
ROAR/FOX/1997 **(Alonzo Greer) Tully, a rowdy apprentice
magician of African descent who aids the cause of a Celtic prince battling
evil in Ireland during the year 400 A.D.
THE ROBERT GUILLAUME
SHOW/ABC/1989-90 *(Robert Guillaume) Edward Sawyer, a black
divorced marriage counselor living with his two teenagers Pamela & William
(Kelsey Scott & Marc Joseph) at the home of his father, Henry Sawyer
played by Hank Rolike. Ed later fell in love with his white secretary, Ann
Sherr.
ROC/FOX/1991-94 *(Charles S. Dutton) Roc Emerson, a black garbage
collector "working for the American Dream" who lived in a Baltimore row
home. Cast included Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor, a nurse; Carl Gordon
as his retired father, Andrew (Archie Bunker in black) who had an
obsession with Malcolm X; Rocky Carroll as Roc's freeloading younger
brother, Joey, a trumpet player with an addiction to gambling; Garrett
Morris as Roc's friend, Wiz, an electronic handyman; and Alexis Fields as
Sheila Hendricks, an-eleven-year-old girl who moved in with the Emersons
after her father went to prison. Other occasional cast were Oscar Brown,
Jr as Miles Taylor, a pianist; Wally Taylor as Curtis Vincent, a bass
player; Heidi Swedberg as Helen; Natalie Belcon as Jenise; Ann Weldon and
Jenifer Lewis as Charliane; Jamie Foxx as Crazy George Stevens; and
Clifton Powell as Andre Thompson.
ROLL OUT/CBS/1973-74 *(Stu Gilliam) Corporal "Sweet" Williams, a black
U.S. Army truck driver assigned to the 5050th Trucking Company, a.k.a.
"The Red Ball Express" in France during World War II. The mostly black
unit was based on a real transportation unit. Also featured were Garrett
Morris as Wheels; Rod Gist as Phone Booth; and Theodore Wilson as High
Strung; and Hilly Hicks as Private Jed Brooks.
THE ROLLER GIRLS/NBC/1978 *(Candy Ann Brown/costar) J. B. Johnson, a token
black member of an all-girl roller derby team known as the Pittsburgh
Pitts.
THE ROOKIES/ABC/1972-76 *(George Stanford Brown/costar) Officer Terry
Webster, a black police officer and one of three rookie patrolman working
a large southern California city.
ROOM 222/ABC/1969-74 *(Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas/costars) Pete
Dixon, a black American history teacher and Liz McIntyre, a black guidance
counselor who worked with the students of an integrated metropolitan high
school. Black students featured included Heshimu as Jason Allen and Ta-Tanisha
as Pam,
ROOTS/ABC/1977 (Miniseries) *(Levar Burton) Kunte Kinte, African youth forced
to travel to America and be a slave for American plantation owners. The
12-hour miniseries ROOTS (broadcast January 23-30, 1977) is adapted from
the best selling novel written by black author Alex Haley. It followed
several generations of a black family in America from slavery to freedom [
historical period 1750-1865]. It attracted the largest audience in
television history at the time. The sequel 14-hour miniseries ROOTS: THE
NEXT GENERATION (1979) traced the progress of family members into the 20th
century [historical period 1880s to 1970s]. Cast for both miniseries
includes John Amos as Kunta Kinte (aka Toby), Cicely Tyson as Binta, O. J.
Simpson as Kadi Touray, Louis Gossett as Fiddler, Leslie Uggams as Kizzy,
Ben Vereen and Avon Long as Chicken George Moore, Georg Stanford Brown as
Tom Harvey, James Earl Jones as Alex Haley, Dorian Harewood as Simon Haley
and Al Freeman, Jr. as Malcolm X.
THE ROSEY GRIER SHOW/SYN/1969 *(Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier) Rosey Grier, a former
grid-iron great hosted this syndicated program that featured music, talk,
variety and interviews. Charles Brown was a regular.
THE ROUGH RIDERS/ABC/1958-59 *(Peter Whitney/costar) Sergeant Buck Sinclair, a
black veteran officer who headed west with an ex-Union and ex-Confederate
soldier in the days following the Civil War.
THE ROUND TABLE/NBC/1992 **(Erik King) Officer Wade Carter, a sensitive
black rookie D.C. cop who hung out at The Round Table, a yuppie bar in
Georgetown where the local law enforcement and other D.C professionals
shared their troubles.
ROWAN & MARTIN'S
LAUGH-IN/NBC/1968-73 **(Teresa Graves) Teresa Graves, a black
comedienne featured in comedy skits during the 1969-70 season. Sammy
Davis, Jr. appeared in a recurring skit dressed as a judge and using the
catchphrase "Here comes de judge!"
THE ROYAL FAMILY/CBS/1991-92 *(Redd Foxx, Della Reese/costars) Alfonso and
Victoria Royal, an elderly black couple married 47 years who were enjoying
retirement until their recently divorced daughter with three children
moved home and upset their golden years. Cast included Mariann Aaida as
Elizabeth Royal, their divorced daughter; and Sylver Gregory, Naya Rivera
and Larenz Tate as her children Kim, Hillary and Curtis. When Redd Foxx
died of a heart attack in the Fall of 1991, the series was revised and
Jackée Harry appeared as Ruth Royal, Victoria's man-crazy daughter
(formerly seen as Victoria's half-sister)
RUGRATS/NIK/1991+ **(voice of Cree Summers) Susie Carmichael, a black
three-year-old African-American female. Susie is the first black Rugrat
character. Her disposition is sweet and just the opposite of the spoiled
white girl named Angelica. Susie sports black hair and a yellow dress with
polka-dots. Her character first appeared on the episode “Meet the
Carmichaels.” The other Carmichael children are ten-year-old Buster
(voiced by Kath Soucie); six-year-old Edwin (voiced by Pat Musick); and
Alisa (voiced by Kath Soucie) , the Carmichael’s oldest child (she’s 16)
who babysat the Rugrats when Stu and Randy Carmichael (the kid’s father)
went out for the night. Randy (voiced by Ron Glass) is a writer for the
legendary “Dummi Bears” show. His wife is Dr. Lucy Carmichael (voiced by
Cheryl Carter/Lisa Dinkins/Hattie Winston) who delivered baby Dylan “Dil”
Pickles, the baby of the Stu and Didi Pickles, the white family that lives
next-door.
THE RuPAUL SHOW/VH1/1996-98 *(RuPaul Andre Charles) RuPaul, a 6' 7" black man
and cross-dressing drag queen who adorned himself in a blond wig, high
heels, stocking and stylish female wardrobes to host his late night talk
show. He previously hosted RuPAUL'S PARTY MACHINE on VH1. As to his act
RuPaul replies "Why do people have to ask those questions? I'm in showbiz.
My goal is to get attention however I could. It just so happened that I
had a great pair of legs to boot." (TV GUIDE 6/20/1998 p.8)
RYAN'S FOUR/ABC/1983 *(Albert Hall/co-star) Dr. Terry Wilson, a black
physician and one of four dedicated interns working under the supervision
of Dr. Thomas Ryan.
