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- Roscoe Orman Death Fact Check Roscoe is alive and kicking and is currently 79 years old.
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Does Roscoe Orman play Gordon on Sesame Street?
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Dec 6, 2021 · YouTube, Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Sirius XM. Bob McGrath, otherwise known as Bob, the resident music teacher on the PBS show, was part of the "Sesame Street" crew since it debuted in 1969. McGrath, like his fellow former co-stars Emilio Delgado and Roscoe Orman, was let go when the program transitioned to HBO.
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Roscoe Hunter Orman (b. June 11, 1944) has played Gordon on Sesame Street since 1974 (Season 6), becoming the third actor to play the role. He has also supplied the voice of Hardhead Henry Harris and other characters, including the hand in "Elmo's World: Hands" (for which he also provided his physical hand), as well as the PBS funding voice-overs. From Season 35 to Season 38, he appeared as the fictional superhero Trash Gordon.
Born in Manhattan, New York City, and living in the Bronx for much of his childhood, Orman made his acting debut at the age of 18. Subsequent work included stints with the New York Shakespeare Festival and the New Federal Theater. Orman's film debut came in the blaxploitation film Willie Dynamite, playing the title role, a heroic pimp. Orman shaved his head for the part, and his now bald head would become a trademark over the next several years.
Shortly after completion of the film, Orman was informed by Sesame Street director Stan Lathan of auditions for the role of Gordon. Matt Robinson, a friend of Orman's, also recommended he try out for the part. Orman was one of three finalists, alongside David Downing and Robert Guillaume. Orman recalled that during his audition scene with Oscar the Grouch, he kept looking at Caroll Spinney instead of the puppet. However, Orman had good chemistry with the preschool kids, improvising the concepts of up and down. In a 2011 interview, he credited his segment with John John for giving him his career.
In 1976, during a hiatus from Sesame Street, Orman played the villainous pimp Tyrone on the soap opera All My Children. When the guest spot became a recurring role, Orman was forced to choose, and abandoned the role. Later non-Sesame Street roles were more positive, including a police lieutenant in an episode of Kojak, Captain Wallenger in the 1986 film F/X, and another captain in the pilot episode of the Touchstone Television series Hard Time on Planet Earth.
Orman has also portrayed the controversial early black comedian Stepin Fetchit in a biographical one-man stage play, created by fellow "Gordon" actor Matt Robinson. His most recent attempts at moonlighting from Sesame Street have included guest spots on Cosby, Law & Order, and Sex and the City. Orman has also done extensive voice-over work, including narration for the History Channel and commercials for Chevrolet and Kraft Cheese.
In 1995, Orman released an album of children's music under the title "Roscoe Orman Sings Songs to Grow On".
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation interviewed Orman on July 20, 2004 for the Archive of American Television. The two-hour interview was posted on YouTube in 2008.
•Sesame Street cast in other roles: Roscoe Orman
1.GalaxyCon SESAME STREET Live Stream Q&A, January 24, 2021.
2.Lance, Steven. Written Out of Television: A TV Lover's Guide to Cast Changes, 1945-1994. Maryland: Madison Books, 1996.
3.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kui_Ke-rXo&feature=player_embedded
4.Rich Heldenfels, "'Sesame Street' visits the mall", Beacon Journal, March 28, 2009.
May 22, 2021 · Though Roscoe Orman is best known for playing Gordon on "Sesame Street," he wasn't the first actor in the role. There were, in fact, two actors who preceded him: Hal Miller played him from 1972 to ...
Aug 26, 2023 · Orman was the third actor to play Gordon, stepping into the role in 1973. He spoke to Time as Sesame Street celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2014, and discussed the ways the show endeavored to ...
- Alyssa Choiniere
Nov 10, 2014 · Of all the show’s landmark episodes, Orman is particularly proud of one that dealt with the real-life death of Will Lee, who played Mr. Hooper on the show.
- Sarah Begley
Nov 10, 2014 · Death was not the only difficult subject Sesame Street dealt with; the show has also tackled hurricanes, divorce, ... (Roscoe Orman) asks why he’s walking like that way, Big Bird responds ...
Born on June 11, 1944, Roscoe Orman was a native of the New York City borough of the Bronx. Orman heard of the wonders of a theatrical life from his maternal grandfather, Hunter Wells, who had worked as a vaudeville performer and who entertained the family with tales of the stage. Orman took any chance he could to appear in plays and musicals ...
