Raymond St. Jacques facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raymond St. Jacques
St. Jacques in Rawhide, 1965.
Born	James Arthur Johnson (1930-03-01)March 1, 1930 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	August 27, 1990(1990-08-27) (aged 60) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Los Angeles, California)
Education	Hillhouse High School
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation	Actor director producer
Years active	1959–1990
Known for	Rawhide (as Simon Blake) Coffin Ed Johnson – Cotton Comes to Harlem, Come Back, Charleston Blue

Raymond St. Jacques (born James Arthur Johnson; March 1, 1930 – August 27, 1990) was a talented American actor. He also worked as a director and producer. His career lasted over 30 years. He appeared in plays, movies, and TV shows. St. Jacques made history as the first African American actor to have a regular role in a Western TV series. He played Simon Blake on the show Rawhide from 1965 to 1966.

Early Life and Education

Raymond St. Jacques was born James Arthur Johnson. This was in Hartford, Connecticut. He had a sister named Barbara Ann. His parents divorced when he was very young. He moved with his mother and sister to New Haven, Connecticut.

His mother, Vivienne, later worked at Yale University. She was a medical technician. Raymond went to Hillhouse High School. After high school, he studied drama and psychology at Yale.

After college, he worked for the American Shakespearean Festival. He was an assistant director and actor. He also taught fencing. St. Jacques designed all the sword fighting scenes. He loved fencing and practiced it his whole life.

Later, he moved to New York City. He continued to study acting at the Actors Studio. To earn money, he worked as a model, dishwasher, and busboy. His first professional acting job was in a play. It was an off-Broadway play called High Name Today. In 1960, he played "Judge" in the play The Blacks.

A Career on Stage and Screen

In the early 1960s, St. Jacques had small TV roles. His first movie was Black Like Me in 1964. He then appeared in The Pawnbroker. He also had supporting roles in The Comedians (1967) and The Green Berets (1968).

St. Jacques is well-known for playing Coffin Ed. This was in the movies Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972). These movies were based on crime novels. In the early 1970s, he taught fencing and acting. He taught at the Mafundi Institute in Watts, Los Angeles. In 1973, he directed, produced, and starred in the movie Book of Numbers.

St. Jacques (right) with John Ireland in Rawhide, 1965

During the 1960s, St. Jacques was a guest star on many TV shows. These included East Side/West Side, Daktari, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. In 1965, he joined the Western series Rawhide. He played Simon Blake. This made him the first African American actor to be a regular on a prime-time Western show.

He was known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces." This was because he played so many different characters. In 1976, St. Jacques played Othello. This was in a play at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. He continued to act in plays throughout his career. He toured in productions like Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet.

From 1988 to 1989, St. Jacques played Judge Clayton C. Thomas. This was on the TV show Superior Court. In 1989, he played abolitionist Frederick Douglass. This was in the movie Glory. His last movie role was in Timebomb. This movie came out after he passed away.

Personal Life and Family

Raymond St. Jacques never married. In 1969, he spoke about adopting two young boys. They were six and seven years old. It seems the adoption did not happen. However, by the early 1970s, he said he had two older sons. Their names were Raymond, Jr. and Sterling.

In 1973, St. Jacques said Raymond, Jr. lived in Boston. In 1972, Sterling, who was 22, was in the news. Four men tried to rob St. Jacques' home in Bel Air. Sterling was home alone and called the police. The robbers were caught. Sterling later appeared in St. Jacques' 1973 film Book of Numbers.

Sterling became a high fashion model in the 1970s. He was also a dancer. He was often seen at New York City nightclubs. He later moved to Europe. There, he had some success as a singer. Reports from the 1980s suggested Sterling St Jacques passed away due to health complications. However, in 1988, Raymond St. Jacques still said he had two sons. He mentioned Sterling was on a TV show in Düsseldorf.

Activism and Advocacy

St. Jacques often talked about the challenges Black actors faced. He spoke about how hard it was to get roles that were not stereotypes. He worked to help African Americans find jobs behind the camera. In 1977, he pointed out that Star Wars and other science fiction movies had very few minority actors.

Raymond St. Jacques was also a civil rights activist. He supported equal rights for African Americans. In 1985, he was arrested during a protest. This was an anti-apartheid demonstration. It happened outside the South African embassy in Washington, D.C.

Later Years and Passing

Raymond St. Jacques passed away on August 27, 1990. He died from lymphoma at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. His funeral was held on August 31. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

Filmography