Roscoe Orman

Roscoe Hunter Orman (born June 11, 1944) is an American actor, writer, artist and child advocate, best known for playing Gordon Robinson, one of the central human characters on Sesame Street.[1]

Roscoe Orman
Orman at the 2007 Texas Book Festival
Born
Roscoe Hunter Orman

(1944-06-11) June 11, 1944
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Other names
  • Roscoe H. Orman
  • Roscoe H Orman
EducationHigh School of Art and Design
Occupations
  • Actor
  • writer
  • artist
  • child advocate
Years active1962–present
Notable workSesame Street
Spouse
Kimberley LaMarque Orman
​
​
(m. 2012)​
PartnerSharon Orman (1970–2010)
Children4

Early life and career

While a student at New York City's High School of Art and Design, Orman made his theatrical debut in the 1962 topical revue "If We Grow Up." He was an early member of the Free Southern Theater in New Orleans for two years in the mid-1960s and a founding member of Robert Macbeth's New Lafayette Theatre in Harlem, NY, where he both acted in and directed several plays by NLT's playwright-in-residence, Ed Bullins. His many other stage appearances have included roles in "Julius Caesar" and "Coriolanus" at Joseph Papp's Public Theater, the Broadway production of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Fences", Manhattan Theatre Club's stagings of Richard Wesley's "The Sirens", "The Last Street Play", and "The Talented Tenth", and Matt Robinson's one-man play The Confessions of Stepin Fetchit at the American Place Theatre. Orman is the recipient of two Audelco Theatre Awards and a five-time nominee.

He made his feature film debut in the title role of Universal Studios' 1974 drama Willie Dynamite and has since appeared in F/X, Striking Distance, New Jersey Drive, Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, Twilight's Last Gleaming, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Holiday Rush, and You Can't Take My Daughter. His television credits include work on All My Children, Kojak, Sanford and Son, Cosby, Sex and the City, The Wire, Law & Order, and Law & Order: SVU. He appeared in the Garry Trudeau/Amazon streaming production Alpha House and the HBO mini-series The Night Of.

Orman joined the Sesame Street cast in 1974, becoming the third actor to play Gordon (after Matt Robinson, 1969–72, and Hal Miller, 1972–74).

In June 2006, Orman's memoir, Sesame Street Dad: Evolution of An Actor, was released. In September 2007, his children's book Ricky and Mobo was released.

On October 8, 2008, he became the Chief Storyteller of AudibleKids.com (a service of Audible.com), a website for parents, teachers, and children to connect with one another and download and listen to audiobooks on iPods, MP3 players, and computers. In this role, Orman narrates audiobooks and communicates with children, parents and teachers online and at events. His new role was announced at a community event at The Educational Alliance Boys & Girls Club in New York City, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office commended Orman's life work and willingness to embrace new technology to help encourage children to read books, by naming October 8, 2008, AudibleKids Day in New York City.

In 2016, his contract with Sesame Street was not renewed, as part of Sesame's Workshop's retooling of the series, but the organization said that Orman would continue to represent it at public events.[2][3] He returned to play Gordon in Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration as well as a couple of YouTube videos released in 2018, a 2019 CNN town hall, Coming Together: Standing Up To Racism alongside former Sesame Street cast member Sonia Manzano, and a TV special released the same year, "The Power of We", also about racism.

Filmography
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1973 Willie Dynamite Willie
1974–2016 Sesame Street Gordon Robinson 253 episodes
1975 Sanford and Son Al Robinson Episode: "Bank on This"
1976 All My Children Tyrone
1977 Kojak Lieutenant Connors Episode: "The Condemned"
Insight Body Guard Episode: "Leroy"
1978 Christmas Eve on Sesame Street Gordon Robinson Television film
1979 Julius Caesar Marcus Brutus Direct-to-video
Coriolanus Adrian
1983 Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Gordon Robinson Television film
1985 Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird
1986 F/X Captain Wallenger
1989 A Man Called Hawk Malcolm Episode: "Hear No Evil"
Hard Time on Planet Earth Captain Ralston Episode: "Stranger in a Strange Land"
1991 Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake Gordon Robinson Television film
1993 Striking Distance Sid, Eddie Eiler's Partner
Sesame Street Stays Up Late! Gordon Robinson Television film
1995 New Jersey Drive Judge
1996 Elmo Saves Christmas Gordon Robinson Direct-to-video
1997 Drive by: A Love Story Pops Short film
1998 Elmopalooza! Gordon Robinson Television film
1999 The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Gordon Robinson
Cosby Mr. Mason Episode: "Book 'Em, Griff O"
2000 Lifeline Narrator (voice) Episode: "D.C. Children's Hospital"
2001–2004 Law & Order Mr. Cameron, Trial Judge Alan Kiley 2 episodes
2002 Sex and the City Train Waiter Episode: "The Big Journey"
2006 30 Days Jo Jo
2007 Coney Island Boss Short film
2008 The Wire Officer Oscar Requer 2 episodes
Compliments of the Serpent Mike Stanton Short
2008–2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Jerome Howard, Bryant Davis 2 episodes
2011 Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Dr. Grady
2012–2013 Little Children, Big Challenges Gordon Robinson 2 episodes
2013 Alpha House Randall Episode: "Hippo Issues"
2016 The Night Of Jury Foreman Episode: "The Call of the Wild"
2018 Blue Bloods Ethan Goodwin Episode: "Second Chances"
All These Small Moments Dr. Rogers
New Amsterdam Rodger Conway Episode: "Three Dots"
2019 Holiday Rush Reginald Miller
2020 You Can't Take My Daughter McDevitt Television film

Stage credits
Year Title Role(s) Venue(s) Notes Ref.
2017 Bud, Not Buddy Jimmy, etc. Kennedy Center [4]
2014 Fetch Clay, Make Man Stepin Fetchit Round House Theatre [5]
2014 The Fabulous Miss Marie Bill New Federal Theatre [6]
2012 Jitney Jim Theatre Morgan [7]
2010 The Last Fall Neville Crossroads Theatre [8]
2010 Driving Miss Daisy Hoke Fulton Theatre (PA) [9]

References
  1. Chattman, Jon; Tarantino, Rich; Underhill, Brett; John Oates (2009-04-18). Sweet 'Stache: 50 Badass Mustaches and the Faces Who Sport Them. Adams Media. pp. 117–. ISBN 9781440501449. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  2. Jones, Kevin L. "'Sesame Street' Lets Go Longtime Cast Members Bob, Gordon and Luis". KQED Public Media for Northern California. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  3. Lujan, Adam. "Sesame Street let go three longtime cast members". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  4. "Justin Weaks, Frankie Faison, Charlayne Woodard, Roscoe Orman and More Sign on for BUD, NOT BUDDY at Kennedy Center; Full Cast Set!". Broadway World. 6 Jan 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  5. Marks, Peter (19 October 2014). "'Fetch Clay, Make Man': An unusual sparring match". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  6. Soloski, Alexis (7 May 2014). "Infidelity Runs Amok, but the Party Never Stops". New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  7. Smith, Tim (9 February 2012). "'Sesame Street' veteran heads 'Jitney' cast at MSU". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. Filichia, Peter (16 April 2010). "Roscoe Orman and Lizan Mitchell appear in 'The Last Fall' at the Crossroads Theatre Company". New Jersey Star-Ledger. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  9. Holahan, Jane (28 January 2010). "In 'Driving Miss Daisy,' two people take a journey into transformation". LNP. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
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