Theodore Wilson


Theodore Rosevelt "Teddy" Wilson was an American stage, film, and television actor. Wilson is best known for his recurring roles as Earl the Postman on the ABC sitcom That's My Mama, and Sweet Daddy Williams on the CBS sitcom Good Times.

Career

Born in Harlem, New York City, Wilson studied music at Florida A&M University before switching to drama. Upon returning to New York, he joined the Negro Ensemble Company and later worked with the Arena Stage Repertory. He made his acting debut in the blaxploitation film, Cotton Comes to Harlem, in 1970. The following year, Wilson moved to Los Angeles. He made his television debut in a two-episode role as Hawthorne Dooley on the television series The Waltons.
In 1973, Wilson was cast as High Strung on the CBS sitcom Roll Out. The series was cancelled after 12 episodes.
The following year, Wilson was cast as Earl Chambers, a postman on the ABC sitcom That's My Mama. That series was also short-lived and cancelled after two seasons.
In September 1976, Wilson signed with Tandem Productions, the production company owned by Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear who produced some of the most popular sitcoms of the 1970s. Wilson went on to guest star in several Yorkin/Lear-produced series including All in the Family, Sanford and Son, What's Happening!!, The Jeffersons, and 13 Queens Boulevard. In 1976, Wilson was cast as Sweet Daddy Williams, a street hustler on the CBS sitcom Good Times. Wilson appeared as Sweet Daddy in a recurring role. In August 1977, it was announced that Wilson would star in a spin-off of the hit sitcom Sanford and Son called Sanford Arms. The series was intended to be a continuation of the highly popular Sanford and Son, which ended in March 1977 when both the series' stars, Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson, left the series. Wilson starred as Phil Wheeler, an Army veteran and widower who has purchased the Sanford Arms, a rooming house, from his old Army buddy Fred G. Sanford. Upon its premiere in September 1977, Sanford Arms was critically panned and drew low ratings. It was cancelled after four episodes.
After the series was cancelled, Wilson made various guest appearances in episodes of The White Shadow, Enos, Gimme a Break!, The Golden Girls, and What's Happening Now. In 1986, he had a role as Jim-Jam on another short-lived series, The Redd Foxx Show. Wilson continued to work throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing in Alien Nation, Dallas, Family Matters, Tales from the Crypt, Gabriel's Fire, Mama's Family, and Quantum Leap. He was also featured in films The Hunter, Blake Edwards' A Fine Mess, and That's Life!. Wilson made his last onscreen appearance in Blood in Blood Out, a 1993 crime drama released after his death.

Personal life

Wilson had two children with actress Joan Pringle. Pringle was named executrix of Wilson's estate when he died in 1991.

Death

On July 21, 1991, Wilson died of a stroke at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 47.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1972-1973The WaltonsHawthorne Dooley2 episodes
1973The Partridge FamilySam MulvoneyEpisode: "Hate Thy Neighbor"
1973Roll OutHigh Strung8 episodes
1974M*A*S*HWarrant Officer Martin "Marty" WilliamsEpisode: "The General Flipped at Dawn"
1974-1975 That's My MamaEarl Chambers38 episodes
1975Medical StoryHadleyTelevision movie
1976BarettaFlashEpisode: "Pay or Die"
1976Good HeavensSpecial BinghamEpisode: "Jack the Ribber and Me"
1976-1979Good TimesSweet Daddy Williams7 episodes
1977PhyllisJimmy CarterEpisode: "Boss or Buddy or Both or Neither"
1977The Bionic WomanWarner WilliamsEpisode: "Iron Ships and Dead Men"
1977Sanford ArmsPhil Wheeler8 episodes
1977KojakJoe PenneyEpisode: "Once More from Birdland"
1977Police WomanHarold MartinEpisode: "Shadow of a Doubt"
1976-1978What's Happening!!Al Dunbar/Marty/Mr. Wilson4 episodes
1979The Dukes of HazzardMorganEpisode: "Route 7-11"
1979The White ShadowDoug BuchananEpisode: "A Christmas Present"
1981The Oklahoma City DollsTom PetreeTelevision movie
1982The Ambush MurdersJay KingTelevision movie
1983Amanda'sPhilip OliverEpisode: "Last of the Red Hot Brothers"
1985A Bunny's TaleOlder Club EmployeeTelevision movie
1985Malice in WonderlandCollinsTelevision movie
1985What's Happening Now!!Mr. Lee/Bum2 episodes
1985The New Twilight ZoneHendersonSegment: "Night of the Meek"
1985Crazy Like a FoxEddie2 episodes
1986The Golden GirlsDiner OwnerEpisode "Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas "
1986227Cousin RayEpisode: "We the People"
1986The Redd Foxx ShowJim-Jam5 episodes
1986Easy StreetJackieEpisode: "Be-Bop Man"
1987The New Mike HammerBookerEpisode: "Body Shot"
1987Cagney & LaceyJudge CharnasEpisode: "Easy Does It"
1987-1988You Can't Take It with YouDurwood M. Pinner3 episodes
1988Annie McGuireJordanEpisode: "The Journey"
1988The Golden GirlsBenEpisode: "Brother, Can You Spare That Jacket?"
1989Sweet Bird of YouthFlyTelevision movie
1989Midnight CallerQuinton OliverEpisode: "Take Back the Streets"
1989Alien NationDr. Roscoe Brennan2 episodes
1989The Munsters TodayLouisEpisode: "The Melting Pot"
1989-1990DallasClem2 episodes
1990Beauty and the BeastRaymond EnsignEpisode: "Legacies"
1990Family MattersCaptain Casper DavenportEpisode: "Sitting Pretty"
1990The New Adam-12Street ArtistEpisode: "The Landlord"
1990Quantum LeapErnie Tyler / Jimmy Grady2 episodes, "Rebel Without a Clue" & "Pool Hall Blues"
1991WingsJohnEpisode: "Plane Nine from Nantucket"