Howard Rollins

Acting

Howard Rollins

Born October 17, 1950 · Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Died December 8, 1996 · aged 46

Howard Rollins (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996) was an American television, film, and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime and Virgil Tibbs on In the Heat of the Night.

Known For

A Soldier's StoryA Soldier's Story · 1984
A Soldier's Story
6.81984
MovieMysteryCrime
In a rural town in Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base. Military lawyer, Captain Davenport—also a black man—is sent from Washington to conduct an investigation. Facing an uncooperative chain of command and fearful black troops, Davenport must battle with deceit and prejudice in order to find out exactly who really did kill the Master Sergeant.
The NeighborhoodThe Neighborhood · 1982
The Neighborhood
7.01982
MovieTV MovieDrama
A neighborhood in Brooklyn reacts to the first black families moving into the community.
RagtimeRagtime · 1981
Ragtime
7.01981
MovieDramaHistory
A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence, and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.
The House of GodThe House of God · 1984
The House of God
3.21984
MovieComedyDrama
Comedy about a couple of interns in a hospital named 'The House of God'.
A Doctor's StoryA Doctor's Story · 1984
A Doctor's Story
6.71984
MovieDramaTV Movie
A physician frustrates his family in his fight to prove that an elderly man is not senile.
DrunksDrunks · 1997
Drunks
3.21997
MovieDrama
At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does - and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, searching for some solace in his old stomping grounds, bars and parks where he bought drugs, the meeting goes on, and we hear the stories of survivors and addicts - some, like Louis, who claim to have wandered in looking for choir practice, who don't call themselves alcoholic, and others, like Joseph, whose drinking almost caused the death of his child - as they talk about their lives at the meeting
Remembering RagtimeRemembering Ragtime · 2004
Remembering Ragtime
2004
MovieDocumentary
Memories from the making of the classic Milos Forman film "Ragtime".
The House of Dies DrearThe House of Dies Drear · 1984
The House of Dies Drear
8.01984
MovieFantasyDrama
A young black man and his family move into a home in rural Ohio and discover that during the Civil War it was used by a Dutch immigrant to smuggle runaway slaves to freedom. Soon they begin to suspect that the ghosts of slaves who passed through there are haunting the house.

Movies

A Soldier's StoryA Soldier's Story · 1984
A Soldier's Story
6.81984
MovieMysteryCrime
In a rural town in Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base. Military lawyer, Captain Davenport—also a black man—is sent from Washington to conduct an investigation. Facing an uncooperative chain of command and fearful black troops, Davenport must battle with deceit and prejudice in order to find out exactly who really did kill the Master Sergeant.
The NeighborhoodThe Neighborhood · 1982
The Neighborhood
7.01982
MovieTV MovieDrama
A neighborhood in Brooklyn reacts to the first black families moving into the community.
RagtimeRagtime · 1981
Ragtime
7.01981
MovieDramaHistory
A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence, and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.
The House of GodThe House of God · 1984
The House of God
3.21984
MovieComedyDrama
Comedy about a couple of interns in a hospital named 'The House of God'.
A Doctor's StoryA Doctor's Story · 1984
A Doctor's Story
6.71984
MovieDramaTV Movie
A physician frustrates his family in his fight to prove that an elderly man is not senile.
DrunksDrunks · 1997
Drunks
3.21997
MovieDrama
At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does - and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, searching for some solace in his old stomping grounds, bars and parks where he bought drugs, the meeting goes on, and we hear the stories of survivors and addicts - some, like Louis, who claim to have wandered in looking for choir practice, who don't call themselves alcoholic, and others, like Joseph, whose drinking almost caused the death of his child - as they talk about their lives at the meeting
Remembering RagtimeRemembering Ragtime · 2004
Remembering Ragtime
2004
MovieDocumentary
Memories from the making of the classic Milos Forman film "Ragtime".
The House of Dies DrearThe House of Dies Drear · 1984
The House of Dies Drear
8.01984
MovieFantasyDrama
A young black man and his family move into a home in rural Ohio and discover that during the Civil War it was used by a Dutch immigrant to smuggle runaway slaves to freedom. Soon they begin to suspect that the ghosts of slaves who passed through there are haunting the house.
The Trial of the MokeThe Trial of the Moke · 1978
The Trial of the Moke
6.01978
MovieDramaTV Movie
Henry Flipper is the first black West Point graduate. Assigned to serve at Fort Davis in Texas, Flipper becomes the object of a conspiracy by his fellow cadets to rid the base of its only black graduate.
With Murder in MindWith Murder in Mind · 1992
With Murder in Mind
6.21992
MovieDramaTV Movie
A real estate agent is shot while trying to sell a rural farm and tries to bring the shooter to justice.
My Old ManMy Old Man · 1979
My Old Man
5.31979
MovieDramaTV Movie
An unlucky horse trainer, Frank Butler, wins big at the track and buys his 16-year old daughter a horse to salvage their relationship. When Frank is hurt prior to the opening race, Jo must go it alone.
Chytilová Versus FormanChytilová Versus Forman · 1981
Chytilová Versus Forman
8.01981
MovieDocumentary
An intellectual match between two dramatically different artists, one permanently unsure and frustrated and questioning everything, the other an astonishing storyteller perfectly at peace, unacquainted with introspection and reliant on intuition.
He's Fired, She's HiredHe's Fired, She's Hired · 1984
He's Fired, She's Hired
6.51984
MovieComedyTV Movie
Advertising executive, Alex Grier, is fired and is unable to find another position, being over-qualified. His wife, Annabelle, with no experience, is hired by the Freddie Fox agency when she uses her husband's résumé to get the job. He remains at home, raising their three children, coaxing his wife while trying to write the "great American novel."
Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBIJohnnie Mae Gibson: FBI · 1986
Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI
6.51986
MovieActionCrime
A police officer is called by F.B.I. to infiltrate into gang of arms smugglers.
The Member of the WeddingThe Member of the Wedding · 1982
The Member of the Wedding
5.01982
MovieDramaTV Movie
12-year-old tomboy Frankie Addams dreams of going away with her brother and his bride-to-be on their upcoming honeymoon. [Taped live in performance at the James K. Polk Theater, Nashville.]
For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar EversFor Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers · 1983
For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers
7.01983
MovieTV MovieDrama
This film is the true story of Medgar Evers, a successful insurance agent who moves to Jackson, Mississippi to direct the regional headquarters of the NAACP. Fighting segregation and racist politics, Evers becomes a leader in the black community.
The Children of Times SquareThe Children of Times Square · 1986
The Children of Times Square
6.31986
MovieTV MovieDrama
An alienated teenage boy runs away from home and ventures to New York City where he falls in with a gang of juvenile delinquents working as drug dealers and pickpockets for a shady crime boss.
ThornwellThornwell · 1981
Thornwell
7.31981
MovieDramaHistory
The story of James Thornwell, whose accusation that the U.S. Army used mind control drugs on him to force him to confess to stealing secret documents while stationed in Orleans, France, in 1961, led Congress to award him $625,000 in damages nearly 20 years later.
Harambee!Harambee! · 1996
Harambee!
7.01996
MovieDrama
During a Kwanzaa celebration, a recovering drug addict who now counsels drug users inspires the residents of a Brooklyn housing project to apply the principles of the holiday to combat violence in their neighborhood.
The Legacy of MalthusThe Legacy of Malthus · 1994
The Legacy of Malthus
9.01994
Movie
Discusses Malthus's theories of population and the causes of poverty. As film contrasts the 19th century poor in Scotland with today's poor in India, it takes on the international population "establishment", challenging the entrenched view that overpopulation alone is responsible for poverty and environmental destruction.
On the BlockOn the Block · 1990
On the Block
2.81990
MovieDrama
A stripper and a vice squad lieutenant become romantically involved in this contemporary drama set in the adult entertainment zone in 1980s Baltimore, Maryland. -- KillerMovies
The Boy KingThe Boy King · 1986
The Boy King
7.01986
MovieDrama
Focuses on young Martin Luther King Jr.'s early encounters with prejudice and how the love and courage of his family moved him to speak out against segregation and become a leader in the civil rights movement.

TV Shows

American PlayhouseAmerican Playhouse · 1982
American Playhouse
6.61982
SeriesDramaComedy
American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.
New York UndercoverNew York Undercover · 1994
New York Undercover
7.31994
SeriesDramaCrime
New York Undercover is an American police drama The series stars Detective J.C. Williams and Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's Fourth Precinct who were assigned to investigate various crimes and gang-related cases.
In the Heat of the NightIn the Heat of the Night · 1988
In the Heat of the Night
7.61988
SeriesCrimeDrama
In the Heat of the Night is an American television series based on the motion picture and novel of the same name starring Carroll O'Connor as the white police chief William Gillespie, and Howard Rollins as the African-American police detective Virgil Tibbs. It was broadcast on NBC from 1988 until 1992, and then on CBS until 1995. Its executive producers were Fred Silverman, Juanita Bartlett and Carroll O'Connor. TGG Direct released the first season of the series to DVD on August 28, 2012.
FridaysFridays · 1980
Fridays
6.01980
SeriesComedy
Fridays is the name of ABC's weekly late-night live comedy show, which aired on Friday nights from April 11, 1980 to April 23, 1982.
Another WorldAnother World · 1964
Another World
5.51964
Series
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC for 35 years from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. Set in the fictional town of Bay City, the show in its early years opens with announcer Bill Wolff intoning its epigram, “We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds,” which Phillips said represented the difference between “the world of events we live in, and the world of feelings and dreams that we strive for.” Another World focused less on the conventional drama of domestic life as seen in other soap operas, and more on exotic melodrama between families of different classes and philosophies.
Remember WENNRemember WENN · 1996
Remember WENN
7.81996
SeriesComedy
The personal and professional lives of the staff of fictional Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the early 1940s, before and during World War II.
Roots: The Next GenerationsRoots: The Next Generations · 1979
Roots: The Next Generations
7.51979
SeriesDrama
Roots: The Next Generations is a television miniseries, introduced in 1979, continuing, from 1882 to the 1960s, the fictionalized story of the family of Alex Haley and their life in Henning, Lauderdale County, Tennessee, USA. This sequel to the 1977 miniseries is based on the last seven chapters of Haley's novel entitled Roots: The Saga of an American Family plus additional material by Haley. Roots: The Next Generations was produced with a budget of $16.6 million, nearly three times as large as that of the original.
WildsideWildside · 1985
Wildside
6.81985
SeriesDramaWestern
Wildside is an American series aired by ABC from March to April 1985. The series stars William Smith, J. Eddie Peck, Howard Rollins, William Smith, Sandy McPeak, Terry Funk, John D'Aquino, and Meg Ryan.
KingKing · 1978
King
6.61978
SeriesDrama
The story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stretching from his days as a Southern Baptist minister in the South of the 1950s until his assassination in Memphis in 1968.
En el calor de la nocheEn el calor de la noche · 1988
En el calor de la noche
1988
Series