Trivia: Clifton Davis, a black lead actor and singer/songwriter, first appeared onscreen in 1973.

Trivia: As a Tony-nominated Broadway star, a former background singer for Harry Belafonte, an Emmy-nominated television actress, and a supporting player in numerous feature films, it is safe to say that Theresa Merritt had a mighty respectable career, despite the fact that she never quite made it to full-fledged stardom. The African-American performer launched her career with a starring role in Billy Rose's musical Carmen (1943). In 1985, she returned to Broadway to play the title role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and won a Tony nomination. She made her feature film debut in They Might Be Giants (1971) and continued to occasionally appear in films through the mid-'90s. On television, Merritt earned Emmy kudos for her special All About Miss Merritt and for appearing in the PBS miniseries Concealed Enemies.

Trivia: Not to be confused with jazz musician Teddy Wilson, African-American actor Theodore Wilson was busy in all aspects of acting. While he toted up significant stage and movie credits (The River Niger and Carny were among the stage performances, while his movies included A Fine Mess [1986] for Blake Edwards and Life Stinks [1991] for Mel Brooks), Wilson rose to prominence as a result of his television efforts. His earliest recurring TV role was as High Strung on Roll Out! (1973), a World War II sitcom about an all-black Army supply outfit. The following year, Wilson played mail carrier Earl Chambers on another black-oriented comedy weekly, That's My Mama, which lasted two seasons. Wilson then headed the cast of Sanford Arms (1977), NBC's feeble attempt to keep Sanford and Son going without its stars, Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson; the actor played Phil Wheeler, who tried to convert the Sanford junkyard into an office and the adjacent property into a hotel. Having failed to replace Redd Foxx, Wilson subsequently found himself working for the ex-Fred Sanford; he succeeded Nathaniel Taylor in the role of Jim-Jam on the short-lived The Redd Foxx Show (1986). Theodore Wilson's final regular sitcom stint was on the syndicated You Can't Take It With You (1987), a comedy series based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart; Wilson essayed the role of Mr. Pinner, an amalgam of two of the original play's characters, Mr. DePinna and Donald the handyman.

Trivia: Versatile African-American actress Lynne Moody did not confine her activities exclusively to television, though that was where she usually could be found. Fans of Roots will recall Moody as Irene Harvey, wife of the great-grandson of Kunta Kinte in both the original 1977 miniseries and its 1979 sequel. She was seen on a weekly basis as Tracy Curtis Taylor in That's My Mama (1974-75), Polly Dawson in Soap (1979-81), Nurse Julie Williams in E/R (the 1984 sitcom, not the current medical drama) and Patricia Williams in Knot's Landing (1988-90). Lynne Moody was more recently cast as Elizabeth Butler in a brace of "Ray Alexander" TV-movies.

Trivia: For millions of Americans, the prime-time situation comedy The Love Boat will be forever inseparable from the image of Ted Lange, an actor cast for nine seasons as the genial Isaac the Bartender on the Pacific Princess luxury liner and trademarked by his iconic "two-finger drop" greeting. Yet Lange's portrayal of Isaac scarcely hinted at the actor's dexterity or dramatic range. In truth, this actor received classical dramatic training at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and would go on, after the Princess took its final voyage in September 1986, to establish himself as a revered creative force in regional theater.Lange initially broke into films with many portrayals in Hollywood programmers during the early '70s, including Trick Baby (1972), Blade (1972), and Black Belt Jones (1974), and landed a regular role in the one-season ethnic sitcom That's My Mama (1974), as a streetwise philosopher opposite Clifton Davis (Amen) and Theresa Merritt. The Love Boat, of course, brought Lange his most widespread recognition; nonetheless (as indicated), he hearkened back to his theatrical roots beginning in the late '80s and divided his time between writing, directing, and stage acting roles. His resumé as a scribe sports at least 17 original plays including Lemon Meringue Facade, Behind the Mask -- An Evening with Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Evil Legacy -- The Story of Lucretia Borgia, while he has appeared dramatically in productions including Hair and Taming of the Shrew and has directed plays ranging from Othello to the rock & roll musical Born a Unicorn.