Occupation: Actor.
Birthday: July 9, 1942.
Birthplace: New Rochelle, N.Y.
Current home: Tarzana, Calif.
Marital status: Married for 10 years to Karen Roundtree.
Children: Kelly, 25; Nicole, 23; Tayler, 3; and one on the way.
Working on: ”Generations,” a soap opera on NBC-TV. Most people associate me with ”Shaft,” so it`s really a departure to play a doctor with a 20-year-old daughter.
The last good movie I saw was: ”Glory.”
I stay home to watch: ”Equal Justice” and ”L.A. Law.”
Favorite performer: Sidney Poitier. He`s always, always such a class act. Favorite memory: I was on the David Frost show and I mentioned my 102-year-old grandmother, and during the commercial break, David said we had to bring her on. So he did, and she was a riot. He asked her where, if she could go anywhere in the world, would she go, and she said, ”Chicago.” He said:
”Chicago? Why not Africa?” She said, ”What do I want to go to Africa for?” She had never been west of South Carolina, and Chicago was a big deal to her.
Prized possession: My photograph with Haile Selassie.
Personal hero: My father. I was scared to death of him. In his own quiet way, he was a strong man, and everyone seemed to love him. It`s amazing how much I`ve become like him.
I`ve never been able to: Save money.
I`d give anything to meet: Nelson Mandela.
I want to teach my children: That they`re perfect the way they are.
My fantasy is: Kicking back in Bali.
The worst advice my mother ever gave me was: ”Stand next to the furnace.” She said it when I had the chicken pox. I don`t know where she got that idea.
The one thing I can`t stand is: When people drive in the left lane on the freeway and just go the speed limit.
People who knew me in high school thought I was: Cool. Little did they know I was scared to death.
Nobody would believe it if they saw me: In my vegetable garden.
Three words that best describe me: Upbeat, friendly and caring.
