Carl Gordon (actor) facts for kids

Carl Gordon (born January 20, 1932 – died July 20, 2010) was an American actor. He started acting later in his life. He was best known for playing a dad in the TV show Roc. He also acted in many movies, plays, and other TV shows.

Life and Career

Carl Gordon was born Rufus Carl Gordon Jr. in Goochland, Virginia. Everyone knew him by his middle name, Carl. When he was a child, his family moved to Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Carl joined the United States Air Force. He served during the Korean War as a mechanic for airplanes. After his time in the military, he went to Brooklyn College. But he left college to find a job.

Around 1970, Carl Gordon had faced challenges in his personal life. He had also found jobs like working with metal or in a stockroom. These jobs did not make him happy or challenge him. One night, he felt lost and asked for guidance. He felt an answer telling him to "Try acting."

He then joined a theater workshop. He was the oldest student there and the only African American. After many tryouts, he started getting acting jobs. He performed on Broadway, in movies, and on TV. He acted in over 30 plays with the Negro Ensemble Company.

Carl Gordon appeared in several movies. These included "Gordon's War" in 1973 and The Brother from Another Planet in 1984. In 1990, he played the role of Doaker in a play called The Piano Lesson. This play was part of a famous series by August Wilson. He also acted on Broadway in the musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death in 1971. Later, in 2003, he was in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom with his Roc co-star Charles S. Dutton and Whoopi Goldberg.

He also appeared on TV shows like ER and Law & Order. In 2002, he was on the CBS show JAG in an episode called "Port Chicago."

His most famous role was on the Fox TV show Roc. This show was about an African American family in Baltimore. Carl Gordon played Andrew, the main character Roc's father. Andrew was a funny and sometimes grumpy retired train worker. A reviewer once said Carl's character was like a "black Archie Bunker". This meant he was a character with strong opinions, much like a famous TV character named Archie Bunker.

Andrew, his character, would give pictures of Malcolm X as birthday gifts. He didn't like that his son watched The Simpsons because they were white. He preferred his son watch Cosby. Andrew also joked that Larry Bird couldn't be white and play basketball so well. He would say Bird was raised in Harlem and his real name was Abdul Mustafa. Carl Gordon based his character on a strong uncle he knew.

Some episodes of Roc were broadcast live. This means they were performed as they were being shown on TV. Carl Gordon was not worried by this. He said it felt like going back to Broadway. The show decided to do live episodes to get more attention. This was possible because Carl and other actors had a lot of experience acting in plays.

Carl Gordon passed away at age 78 on July 20, 2010. He died at his home in Jetersville, Virginia, from a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He was survived by his third wife, Jacqueline Alston-Gordon. He also had five daughters, a son, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Filmography