Cleavon Little

Acting

Cleavon Little

Born — Died

1939-06-01 — 1992-10-22

Place of birth

Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

59 titles

Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American film and theatre actor, known for his lead role as Bart in the Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles (1974) and as the irreverent Dr. Jerry Noland in the early-1970s sitcom Temperatures Rising. He also starred in the comedy films FM (1978) and Once Bitten (1985) and the action films Vanishing Point (1971) and the Toy Soldiers (1984).

Known for

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
7.6

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

The Mike Douglas Show poster
5.8

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

The Mike Douglas Show

1961

The Love Boat poster
6.2

Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.

The Love Boat

1977

MacGyver poster
7.7

He's everyone's favorite action hero... but he's a hero with a difference. Angus MacGyver is a secret agent whose wits are his deadliest weapon. Armed with only a knapsack filled with everyday items he picks up along the way, he improvises his way out of every peril the bad guys throw at him. Making a bomb out of chewing gum? Fixing a speeding car's brakes... while he's riding in it? Using soda pop to cook up tear gas? That's all in a day's adventures for MacGyver. He's part Boy Scout, part genius. And all hero.

MacGyver

1985

The Merv Griffin Show poster
6.8

No synopsis available yet.

The Merv Griffin Show

1962

The Rockford Files poster
7.6

Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.

The Rockford Files

1974

Film credits

1980s · 13 titles

Fletch Lives poster
6.0

Fletch is a fish out of water in small-town Louisiana, where he's checking out a tumbledown mansion he's inherited. When a woman he flirts with turns up dead, he becomes a suspect and must find the killer and clear his name.

Fletch Lives

1989

The Salamander poster
5.3

An Italian policeman investigates a series of murders involving people in prominent positions. Left behind at each murder scene is a drawing of a salamander. The policeman begins to suspect these murders are linked to a plot to seize control of the government.

The Salamander

1981

Once Bitten poster
5.8

Mark wants to lose his virginity, but his girlfriend wants to wait. Unfortunately for both of them, a 400-year-old vampire Countess needs to turn a virgin into a vampire before Halloween in order to preserve her own youthful appearance, and when she finds Mark, she turns his life upside-down.

Once Bitten

1985

Double Exposure poster
4.5

A photographer for a men's magazine is haunted by disturbing dreams, in which he slaughters his models. When he learns that these models are dying in real life as they did in his dreams, he begins to go insane.

Double Exposure

1982

Surf 2 poster
4.7

Evil Nerd Menlo wants to get revenge on some surfers by selling a bad batch of soda called Buzz Cola which turns people into mutant zombies. Its up to Jocko, Chuck, Bob and their surfer buddies to save the day.

Surf 2

1984

High Risk poster
5.9

Four American friends, badly needing money, decide to make a commando-like raid into a South American drug lord's compound.

High Risk

1981

Toy Soldiers poster
4.6

While on a vacation in Central America, some American teenagers are kidnapped by terrorists. A rescue mission is sent after them, but they manage to escape and join up with a mercenary fighting the terrorists.

Toy Soldiers

1984

E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind poster
3.0

In this spoof of Playboy, E. 'Nick' Vanacuzzi is a video magazine mogul who's invited several famous comedians to the premiere of the new issue. They get to meet his stars like the playmate of the month and the sex advice columnist.

E. Nick: A Legend in His Own Mind

1984

The Sky Is Gray poster
7.0

From Ernest J. Gaines, author of "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," comes a deceptively simple, yet emotionally complex tale of a young boy's discovery of what it's like to be black in Louisiana during the 1940's. James, the boy in question, has a raging toothache that necessitates a trip to the dentist. His mother (played by Emmy-winner Olivia Cole), accompanies James to town on an eye-opening odyssey where the boy gains valuable insights into poverty, racism - and his own sense of pride. With an exciting musical score by Webster Lewis, this multi-award winning film explores a child's discovery that the world is a complicated place... where things are never truly black or white... only shades of gray.

The Sky Is Gray

1980

A House Divided: Denmark Vesey's Rebellion poster
7.0

Story of Denmark Vesey, who was raised as a slave but bought his freedom. He organized a plot to seize the city and free the black slaves, but this failed and he and others were hanged. Set in Charleston in 1822.

A House Divided: Denmark Vesey's Rebellion

1982

Jimmy the Kid poster
6.1

Gang of bumbling crooks kidnap a bratty little kid, find out they got more than they bargained for.

Jimmy the Kid

1982

The Gig poster
7.2

Six amateur musicians accept an offer to play a 2-week gig in the Catskills. When the bass player suddenly falls ill, they recruit a genuine pro to fill in. As they embark on the opportunity of a lifetime, dreams and reality begin to collide.

The Gig

1985

Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige poster
6.6

The story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, the legendary pitcher, from his barnstorming days in the 1920s, hoping to break into organized "negro" baseball, to his emergence at age 43 in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians the year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.

Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige

1981

1970s · 10 titles

Blazing Saddles poster
7.2

Crafty railroad worker Bart becomes the first Black sheriff of Rock Ridge, a frontier town about to be destroyed in order to make way for a new railroad. Initially, the citizens of Rock Ridge harbor a racial bias toward their new protector. However, they warm to him after realizing that Bart and his perpetually drunk gunfighter friend Jim are their only defense against a wave of thugs sent to rid the town of its population.

Blazing Saddles

1974

Vanishing Point poster
7.1

Kowalski works for a car delivery service, and takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to drive from Colorado to San Francisco. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours.

Vanishing Point

1971

Scavenger Hunt poster
5.6

An eccentric games inventor dies and leaves behind an inheritance worth hundreds of millions of dollars - which will only be given to the person or team, amongst his family and hired help, who wins a madcap scavenger hunt.

Scavenger Hunt

1979

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story poster
7.3

It's Christmas Eve, early 1930s on Walton's Mountain. As the family prepares for the holiday, they anxiously await Pa's return home from his job in the city some 50 miles away. He is late, and Ma and the grandparents hear on the radio a report of a bus accident that worries them. Oldest son John-Boy must step up to help grandfather cut down a Christmas tree, and upon learning the concern about Daddy sets out to find him.

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story

1971

Cotton Comes to Harlem poster
6.2

Harlem's African-American population is being ripped off by the Rev. Deke O'Malley, who dishonestly claims that small donations will secure parcels of land in Africa. When New York City police officers Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson look into O'Malley's scam, they learn that the cash is being smuggled inside a bale of cotton. However, the police, O'Malley, and lots of others find themselves scrambling when the money goes missing.

Cotton Comes to Harlem

1970

Greased Lightning poster
6.4

The true life story of Wendell Scott, the first black stock car racing driver to win an upper-tier NASCAR race.

Greased Lightning

1977

FM poster
6.8

When a liberal music station's owners decide to introduce army recruitment ads, despite the protests of its manager, the rebellious DJs are determined to fight back, no matter the cost.

FM

1978

The Day the Earth Moved poster
7.0

An aerial photography team tries to alert a small town about an impending earthquake, but no one believes the duo until the tremors start and the walls begin to collapse.

The Day the Earth Moved

1974

Money to Burn poster
6.0

A convict who managed to print $1 million in counterfeit bills in the prison print shop hatches a scheme to swap them for real money.

Money to Burn

1973

Once Upon a Brothers Grimm poster
9.0

While traveling to meet with the Hessian King, the famed Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, travel through an enchanted forest where they find themselves trapped in the world of their fairy tales.

Once Upon a Brothers Grimm

1977

Series credits

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
7.6

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

The Mike Douglas Show poster
5.8

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

The Mike Douglas Show

1961

The Love Boat poster
6.2

Passengers who search for romantic nights aboard a beautiful ship travelling to tropical or mysterious countries, decide to pass their vacation aboard the "Love Boat", where Gopher, Dr. Bricker, Isaac, Julie, and Captain Stubing try their best to please them, and sometimes help them fall in love. Things are not always so easy, but in the end, love wins.

The Love Boat

1977

MacGyver poster
7.7

He's everyone's favorite action hero... but he's a hero with a difference. Angus MacGyver is a secret agent whose wits are his deadliest weapon. Armed with only a knapsack filled with everyday items he picks up along the way, he improvises his way out of every peril the bad guys throw at him. Making a bomb out of chewing gum? Fixing a speeding car's brakes... while he's riding in it? Using soda pop to cook up tear gas? That's all in a day's adventures for MacGyver. He's part Boy Scout, part genius. And all hero.

MacGyver

1985

The Merv Griffin Show poster
6.8

No synopsis available yet.

The Merv Griffin Show

1962

The Rockford Files poster
7.6

Cranky but likable L.A. PI Jim Rockford pulls no punches (but takes plenty of them). An ex-con sent to the slammer for a crime he didn't commit, Rockford takes on cases others don't want, aided by his tough old man, his lawyer girlfriend and some shady associates from his past.

The Rockford Files

1974

Tony Awards poster
NR

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre.

Tony Awards

1956

The Waltons poster
7.1

The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.

The Waltons

1972

American Playhouse poster
6.6

American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.

American Playhouse

1982

Simon & Simon poster
6.7

A.J. Simon is a polished fellow with a taste for classic cars and tailored suits. Rick Simon is his less refined (but still pleasant) older brother who has a taste for cowboy boots and four-wheel drive pickups. The two of them live in San Diego, where they own a private detective agency.

Simon & Simon

1981

ALF poster
7.6

A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.

ALF

1986

All in the Family poster
7.8

Archie Bunker, a working class bigot, constantly squabbles with his family over the important issues of the day.

All in the Family

1971

Tales from the Crypt poster
8.0

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?

Tales from the Crypt

1989

The Rookies poster
6.9

The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It follows the exploits of three rookie police officers working in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department.

The Rookies

1972

Dear John poster
5.7

Dear John starred Judd Hirsch as easygoing Drake Prep high school teacher John Lacey who is dumped by his wife, Wendy, via a Dear John letter. Wendy ends up with everything in the divorce settlement, including custody of the couple's son, forcing John to move into an apartment in Ozone Park, Queens. John soon joins the One-2-One Club, a self help group for divorced, widowed or lonely people. The group is led by Louise (Jane Carr), a sex-obsessed British woman. Other members of the group include Kate McCarron (Isabella Hofmann), a sweet divorcée; Kirk Morris (Jere Burns), a cocky ladies' man; Ralph Drang (Harry Groener), a shy and neurotic tollbooth collector; Bonnie Philbert (Billie Bird), a feisty senior citizen; and Tom, Mrs. Philbert's quiet boyfriend (Tom Willett).

Dear John

1988

Police Story poster
7.0

Detective Cheng is commissioned by Interpol to destroy the Empire of Chaiba, a worldwide criminal organization based in Southeast Asia. He initiates an undercover operation to infiltrate the organization.

Police Story

1973

Felony Squad poster
6.5

Twenty-year veteran Detective Sergeant Sam Stone is paired with rookie Briggs in a large Western metropolis.

Felony Squad

1966

The Mod Squad poster
6.1

The Mod Squad was the enormously successful groundbreaking "hippie" undercover cop show that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Pete Cochren, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III as Linc Hayes, and Tige Andrews as Captain Adam Greer. The executive producers of the series were Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas. The iconic counter-culture police series earned six Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations plus one win for Peggy Lipton, one Directors Guild of America award, and four Logies. In 1997 the episode "Mother of Sorrow" was ranked #95 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.

The Mod Squad

1968

227 poster
6.9

A housewife sits on the stoop of her apartment building in a black neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and discusses all manner of things with her neighbors.

227

1985

True Colors poster
8.7

True Colors is an American sitcom that aired on Fox from September 2, 1990 to April 12, 1992 for a total of 45 episodes. The series was created by Michael J. Weithorn, and featured an interracial marriage and a subsequent blended family.

True Colors

1990

The Tony Randall Show poster
6.4

Walter Franklin is a somewhat less-than-magisterial Philadelphia judge put upon by an assortment of family and courtroom recidivists.

The Tony Randall Show

1976

Temperatures Rising poster
7.5

Temperatures Rising is an American television sitcom that ran from September 12, 1972 to August 29, 1974 on the ABC network. The network had a good deal of faith in the low-rated series, which went through three cast changes, two different formats, and two time slots during its run.

Temperatures Rising

1972

Supertrain poster
5.6

In a similar vein to The Love Boat, a mix of adventure, comedy, and mystery with a new set of guest stars each week, onboard a futuristic, nuclear-powered luxury train traveling across America.

Supertrain

1979

Tanner '88 poster
6.9

In 1988, renegade filmmaker Robert Altman and Pulitzer Prize–winning Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau created a presidential candidate, ran him alongside the other hopefuls during the primary season, and presented their media campaign as a cross between a soap opera and TV news. The result was the groundbreaking Tanner ’88, a piercing satire of media-age American politics.

Tanner '88

1988

Bagdad Cafe poster
5.6

Bagdad Cafe is an American television sitcom starring Whoopi Goldberg and Jean Stapleton. The series premiered March 30, 1990 on CBS. The show is based on the 1987 Percy Adlon film Bagdad Cafe.

Bagdad Cafe

1990

Lincoln poster
7.5

The life of Abraham Lincoln, from his election as President of the United States to the time of his assassination. Based on Gore Vidal's historical novel.

Lincoln

1988

Separate but Equal poster
6.0

A two-part miniseries. Dramatizes the events leading up to the 1954 Supreme Court decision on school desegregation, "Brown vs. Board of Education."

Separate but Equal

1991