Trivia: Imposing Bahamian actor Calvin Lockhart was at one time an engineering student. Firmly established as a Broadway leading man in the early 1960, Lockhart found that worthwhile opportunities for black performers were severely limited in Hollywood; as a result, he moved to England, where he appeared with regularity in BBC television productions and in such films as A Dandy in Aspic (1966) and Joanna (1968). He returned to the U.S. for the racially supercharged urban drama Halls of Anger (1970), following this personal triumph with an embarrassing appearance in Myra Breckinridge (1970) and a fascinating turn as the charismatic villain of Cotton Comes to Harlem (1972). While he never quite became the "second Sidney Poitier" as predicted by movie publicists, Lockhart was directed by Poitier in Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Let's Do It Again (1975). Calvin Lockhart's TV work has included recurring appearances on the nighttime serial Dynasty. Lockhart died on Mar 29, 2007, in the Bahamas, of complications from a stroke, shortly after shooting a supporting role in the Nassau-set family drama Rain. He was 72 years old.

Trivia: During her early years as an actress, Rosalind Cash moonlighted as a hospital aide, waitress, salesgirl, and nightclub singer. Cash made her Broadway bow in the 1966 production The Wayward Stork. Her film career began when Charlton Heston personally selected her to co-star in his 1971 sci-fi vehicle The Omega Man. Daytime-drama devotees know Cash best as the matriarchal Mary Mae Ward on General Hospital, but she has made many appearances on television in series, telepics, and miniseries. One thing that set Cash apart from other African-American actresses was her refusal to play stereotypical roles. Though she rarely had the opportunity to demonstrate the full extent of her range and ability, Cash's characters were intelligent, independent, and sexy. In 1987, Cash was given the Phoenix Award by the Black American Cinema Society in honor of her achievements. In 1992, her name was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Of all her many accomplishments, Rosalind Cash was proudest of her work with the Negro Ensemble Company, which she co-founded in the late '60s. She died of cancer in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 56.

Trivia: Gifted African American actress Vonetta McGee made her movie bow in the 1968 Italian comedy Faustina. After playing roles in a few "blaxploitation" flicks, McGee and her significant other Max Julien produced and co-starred in Thomasine and Bushrod (1974), a critically applauded black variation on the Bonnie and Clyde story. She went on to appear with Bernie Casey in another intensely personal effort, Brothers (1977), in which she played activist Angela Davis. In 1975, McGee was selected as Clint Eastwood's leading lady in The Eiger Sanction. On television, McGee co-starred with Robert Blake in the weekly series Hell Town (1985) and with Jimmie Walker in the syndicated sitcom Bustin' Loose (1987). McGee died at age 65 in 2010, when she was taken off life support following cardiac arrest.

Trivia: A New York-based stage and TV actor, Paul Stevens made few film appearances, but was still a familiar face thanks to his soap opera work in the '60s, '70s and '80s. Stevens played Brian Bancroft on NBC's Another World, then went on to other projects and was replaced by Luke Reilly. Over at CBS, Stevens showed up on The Young and the Restless. Replacing B-picture stalwart Robert Clarke, Paul Stevens played Dr. Bruce Henderson, one-time beau of Young and Restless perennial Jennifer Brooks (Dorothy Green).

Trivia: On stage from 1960, towering African-American actor Rockne Tarkington has been most often seen in movie and TV adventure fare. Those who were weaned on the Saturday morning kiddie shows of the 1960s will remember Tarkington as Morgan, the fearless islander eternally called upon to rescue hero Frank Aletter and heroine Ronne Troup in the live-action "Danger Island" segments of The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. In the evening hours, Tarkington could be seen on an occasional basis as jungle veterinarian Rao on the Tarzan series. Numbering among his feature film credits are such heart-pounders as Ice Pirates (1984), Death Before Dishonor (1987) and Fists of Steel (1990). Curiously, in Kevin Costner's blood-spattered Wyatt Earp (1994), Rockne Tarkington played the relatively passive role of a stablehand.

Trivia: Actor Ross Hagen started out in the movie mainstream, playing such traditionalist roles as jungle guide Bart Jason during the 1968-69 season of TV's Daktari. With the upsurge in cheapie exploitationers in the 1970s, Hagen found his true niche in the Hollywood mosaic. He is best remembered as "The Urban Cowboy" in Angel (1984) and its 1986 sequel Avenging Angel. Typical titles in the Hagen resumé include Blood Games (1990), Dinosaur Island (1994) and Bikini Drive-In (1995). Ross Hagen has also directed a handful of films, among them The Glove (1978) and B.O.R.N. (1988).

Trivia: Black lead actor, onscreen from the '70s.

Trivia: A versatile director and actor with roots on stage, screen, and film, Edmund Cambridge was a founding member of New York's renowned Negro Ensemble Company, which smashed color barriers in the 1940s, in addition to serving as stage manager of Jean Genet's off-Broadway smash The Blacks, which featured some of the most legendary African-American names in show business.Born September 18, 1920, in New York's Harlem Hospital, Cambridge began his theatrical career as a dancer and eventually worked his way to directing. Often the sole African-American face in numerous stage productions, it was Cambridge's dedication to the craft that drove him to collaborate with Douglas Turner Ward, Robert Hooks, and others in the founding of the Negro Ensemble Co. In addition to his role in founding that particular organization, he was also instrumental in the founding of Hollywood's Kirkpatrick-Cambridge Theater Arts School alongside fellow thespian Lincoln Kirkpatrick. As a director, Cambridge's work included Lonne Elder III's Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, James Baldwn's Amen Corner, and 227, a play that would later spawn a popular television series of the same name. With over 80 film and television credits to his name, the popular actor appeared on television in Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and ER, with feature credits including Friday Foster (1975), Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), and Waking the Dead (2000). Cambridge's later work included an appearance on television's The Bernie Mac Show and in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report. On August 18, 2001, Edmund Cambridge died in the same hospital he was born following complications after an accidental fall. He was 81.

Trivia: Stuntman, stunt coordinator, second unit director, and actor.

Trivia: Emigrated to London at the age of 18 to compete in the Mr. Universe competition. Got his big break when he met a wrestling promoter while enlisted in the British Royal Air Force. Wrestled professionally in Pacific Northwest Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling in North America. Won the 1964 Universe Championships Pro-NABBAA bodybuilding competition.