Occupation: Actor.
Birthday: Jan. 17, 1931.
Birthplace: Tate County, Miss.
Current homes: Upstate New York, New York, Los Angeles.
Marital status: Married for 10 years to Cecilia Hart Jones.
Child: Flynn Earl, 9.
Car: A white 1990 Jeep Cherokee.
Working on: ”Pros and Cons,” Thursdays on ABC-TV.
The last good movie I saw was: ”GoodFellas.”
I stay home to watch: ”60 Minutes,” ”Nightline,” nature shows like
”Wild Kingdom,” soaps. I love television.
Favorite pigout food: Strawberry shortcake.
Favorite performer: Marlon Brando. When it comes to commitment to a character`s life experiences, emotional and intellectual, he`s tops.
Favorite childhood memory: Catching catfish by hand in the flood overflows of the Mississippi River.
Every New Year`s I resolve: To cut out one of my obsessions.
Nobody knows I`m: A stutterer.
I wish I could stop: Working.
I`d give anything to meet: Mahatma Gandhi. I did meet Paul Robeson, and I was fascinated by his commitment to humanity and the utterly simple side of his personality. I learned what drove him. I would like to know what drove Gandhi.
The worst part of my job is: Not letting the public`s perception of me effect me.
My fantasy is: I`m in the Himalayas on the way to Lapland.
The worst advice my mother ever gave me was: ”Don`t.”
The one thing I can`t stand is: The way people accept insanity such as racism and war.
If I could change one thing about myself, I would: Think faster. I always have a great comeback a week later.
People who knew me in high school thought I was: Smart.
My most irrational act: When I was in the Army, I tried to plow through instead of using guile and stealth.
The best time of my life: Returning to the land in 1970 when I bought my place in Upstate New York.
Behind my back, my friends say: ”He`s stubborn.”
If I couldn`t be an actor, I`d be: A farmer.
Three words that best describe me: Big, quiet, gentle.
