View source for Adolph Caesar

{{short description|American actor (1933–1986)}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Adolph Caesar
| image         = AdolphCaesar.jpg
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = Caesar in 1979
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1933|12|05}}
| birth_place   = [[Harlem]], New York City, U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1986|03|06|1933|12|05}}
| death_place   = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| alma_mater    = [[New York University]]
| occupation    = Actor
| years_active  = 1969–1986
| known_for     = Playing Sgt. Waters in ''[[A Soldier's Play]]'' and its film adaptation ''[[A Soldier's Story]]''
| spouse        = {{marriage|Diane Caesar|1986}}
| children      = 3
}}
'''Adolph Caesar''' (December 5, 1933 – March 6, 1986) was an American film and theater actor. Known for his signature deep voice,<ref name=":0" /> Caesar was a staple of [[off-Broadway]] as a member of the [[Negro Ensemble Company]], and as a voiceover artist for numerous [[film trailers]]. He earned widespread acclaim for his performance as Sgt. Vernon Waters in [[Charles Fuller]]'s [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning ''[[A Soldier's Play]]'', a role he reprised in the 1984 film adaptation ''[[A Soldier's Story]],'' for which he received [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] and [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] nominations, and won an [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture]].

==Early life, family and education==
Caesar was born in [[Harlem]], [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], in 1933, the youngest of three sons born to a [[Dominica]]n mother and a black indigenous father.<ref name= "FS-Census">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=|title=United States Census, 1940|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQTG-K57|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200320/https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQTG-K57|archive-date=4 March 2016|access-date=September 18, 2015|website= FamilySearch.org| publisher=Intellectual Reserve, Inc.}}</ref> At age 12, he contracted [[laryngitis]] which resulted to his notably deep voice.

After graduating from [[George Washington Educational Campus|George Washington High School]] in 1952, Caesar enlisted in the [[United States Navy]] during the [[Korean War]] era,<ref name= "nytobit">{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/07/obituaries/adolph-caesar-dies-acted-in-soldier-s-story.html | title=Adolph Caesar Dies; Acted in 'Soldier's Story'| work= [[The New York Times]]| date= September 5, 2021 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150524185134/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/07/obituaries/adolph-caesar-dies-acted-in-soldier-s-story.html | archivedate= 2015-05-24| accessdate=}}</ref> serving as a [[hospital corpsman]] for five years,<ref name= "latimes1986">{{cite news| url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-07-me-16282-story.html%3f_amp=true | title= Adolph Caesar : Fatal Heart Attack Fells Actor on Set | first= Robert W.| last= Stewart| work= Los Angeles Times| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20211216225311/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-07-me-16282-story.html%3f_amp=true | archivedate= 2021-12-16| accessdate= 2025-09-12}}</ref> achieving the rank of [[Chief petty officer (United States)|chief petty officer]].<ref name= "aareg">{{cite web| url= https://aaregistry.org/story/an-actor-of-prominence-adolph-caesar/ |title= Adolph Caesar, Actor born| website= aaregistry.org |publisher= African American Registry|accessdate= September 5, 2021}}</ref> Upon his discharge from the service, he decided to pursue a career in theater, so he chose to study drama at [[New York University]] and graduated in 1962.<ref name= "nytobit"/>

==Career==
===Early career===
Caesar made his film debut in 1969 in ''[[Che!]]'', playing Cuban revolutionary [[Juan Almeida Bosque]]. A year later, Caesar became an announcer for and then joined the [[Negro Ensemble Company]] in 1970 for productions such as ''[[The River Niger]]'', ''Square Root of the Soul'', and ''The Brownsville Raid''. Caesar also later worked with the Minnesota Theater Company, Inner City Repertory Company, and the [[American Shakespeare Theatre]]. He had a stint on the soap operas ''[[Guiding Light]]'' and ''[[General Hospital]]'' in 1964 and 1969, respectively.

Thanks to his voice, Caesar found frequent work as a voiceover artist for television and radio commercials, including theatrical previews and radio commercials for many [[blaxploitation]] films such as ''[[Cleopatra Jones]]'', ''[[Super Fly (1972 film)|Superfly]]'', ''[[Truck Turner]]'' and ''[[The Spook Who Sat by the Door (film)|The Spook Who Sat by the Door]]''. For many years, he was the voice of the [[United Negro College Fund]]'s publicity campaign, reciting the iconic slogan "...because a mind is a terrible thing to waste."

Later in his career, Caesar also lent his voice to the animated series ''[[Silverhawks]]'', in which he voiced Hotwing, a magician and skilled illusionist.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

In 1980, Caesar appeared in the infamous [[Bruceploitation]] mockumentary ''[[Fist of Fear, Touch of Death]]'', playing himself as a fictional television news reporter investigating the death of [[Bruce Lee]].

===''A Soldier's Play''===
Caesar’s most iconic work started with his role as US Army Sergeant Vernon C. Waters in [[Charles Fuller]]'s [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning stage drama, ''[[A Soldier's Play]]'', for which Caesar won [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play]] and an [[Obie Award|Obie Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Achievement]]. ''A Soldier’s Play'' is set in [[Louisiana]] during [[World War II]]. Sgt. Waters is an ambitious Black [[drill sergeant]] who strives for recognition for African-American soldiers while detesting "[[Gullah Geechee|Geechees]]", as he terms [[Uncle Tom|uneducated, subservient, and unintelligent southern Blacks]], as an obstacle to [[racial equality]] and the success of the future [[African American upper class]], and who need to be removed at all costs. The play and film are a [[murder mystery]] that unfolds in flashbacks, as a Black JAG Captain investigates Sgt. Waters' murder.

In a 1985 interview with the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', Caesar stated, while crafting the character of Waters, he drew on his experiences with [[racism]] in [[Classical theatre]]. "I’d studied [[Shakespeare]] to death.... After I did one season at a Shakespearean repertory company, a director said to me, ‘You have a marvelous voice. You know the king’s English well. You speak [[iambic pentameter]]. My suggestion is that you go to New York and get a good colored role.' Waters has tried his best, but no matter what you do, they still hate you." Caesar subsequently coined the character's signature phrase, "They still hate you."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Little|first=Dylan K.|title=Adolph Caesar: The Iconic Actor With The Iconic Voice|url=https://amandlajournal.com/999/reviews/adolph-caesar-the-iconic-actor-with-the-iconic-voice/|access-date=2020-10-26|website=Amandla!|archive-date=December 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210000010/https://amandlajournal.com/999/reviews/adolph-caesar-the-iconic-actor-with-the-iconic-voice/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Caesar reprised his role as Waters in [[Norman Jewison]]'s 1984 film ''[[A Soldier's Story]]'', an adaptation of Fuller's play. His performance was acclaimed and earned him numerous accolades, including [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] and [[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]] nominations for Best Supporting Actor, and an [[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture]]. He also won the [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor]].

===Later career===
On the basis of his ''Soldier's Story'' success, Caesar was cast in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[The Color Purple (1985 film)|''The Color Purple'']] as Old Mister Johnson, the father of [[Danny Glover]]'s character. He also appeared on an episode of [[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|''The Twilight Zone'']] and an ''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]''. Caesar's last completed film was ''[[Club Paradise]]'' which was released posthumously.

==Personal life and death==
Caesar had three children with his wife Diane, whom he was married to until his death.

Caesar was working on the [[Los Angeles]] set of the 1986 film ''[[Tough Guys (1986 film)|Tough Guys]]'' (with [[Burt Lancaster]] and [[Kirk Douglas]]) when he suffered a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] and died a short time later.<ref name="latimes1986"/> His role was recast with [[Eli Wallach]]. He was interred at the [[Ferncliff Cemetery]] in [[Hartsdale, New York]].

==Works==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
!Director
! Notes
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Che! (1969 film)|Che!]]''
| [[Juan Almeida]]
|[[Richard Fleischer]]
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle]]''
| Brutish (voice)
|[[Picha]]<br/>[[Boris Szulzinger]]
| English-language version
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Hitter (film)|The Hitter]]''
| Nathan
|Christopher Leitch
|
|-
| 1980
| ''[[Fist of Fear, Touch of Death]]''
| Himself
|Matthew Mallinson
|
|-
| 1984
| ''[[A Soldier's Story]]''
| Sgt. Vernon Waters
|[[Norman Jewison]]
|
|-
| 1985
| [[The Color Purple (1985 film)|''The Color Purple'']]
| Old Mister Johnson
|[[Steven Spielberg]]
|
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Club Paradise]]''
| Prime Minister Solomon Gundy
|[[Harold Ramis]]
| Released posthumously
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1968
|''[[The Wild Wild West]]''
|Vidoq
|Episode: "The Night of the Gruesome Games"
|-
|1969
|''[[General Hospital]]''
|Douglas Burke
|
|-
|1970
|[[The Challenge (1970 film)|''The Challenge'']]
|Clarence Opano
|[[Television film]]
|-
|1978
|[[Watch Your Mouth (TV series)|''Watch Your Mouth'']]
|Jeff Cremer
|2 episodes
|-
|1984
|''[[Guiding Light]]''
|Zamana
|
|-
|1985
|''[[Tales from the Darkside]]''
|Mars Gillis
|Episode: "Parlour Floor Front"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1986
|[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|''The Twilight Zone'']]
|The Supervisor
|Episode: "[[A Matter of Minutes]]"
|-
|''[[Fortune Dane]]''
|Charles Dane
|Episode: "Pilot"
|-
|[[ABC Afterschool Special|''ABC Afterschool Specials'']]
|Dr. Rancid
|Episode: "Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge"
|-
|''[[SilverHawks]]''
|Hotwing / Seymour (voices)
|Main cast
|}

=== Theatre (partial) ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
!Director
!Theatre
! Notes
|-
|1965–67
|''Happy Ending / Day of Absence''
|Jackson
|Philip Meister
| rowspan="4" |[[St. Mark's Playhouse]]
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1971
|''Rosalee Pritchett''
|Robert Barron
|[[Shauneille Perry]]
|
|-
|''Perry's Mission''
|Lester "Bobo" Johnson
| rowspan="2" |[[Douglas Turner Ward]]
|
|-
|''Ride a Black Horse''
|Harold
|
|-
|''[[Mary Stuart (Schiller play)|Mary Stuart]]''
|Count Bellievre
|[[Jules Irving]]
|[[Vivian Beaumont Theater]]
|Broadway debut
|-
|1971–72
|''The Sty of the Blind Pig''
|Doc
|[[Shauneille Perry]]
| rowspan="5" |[[St. Mark's Playhouse]]
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1972
|''A Ballet Behind the Bridge''
|Lalsingh
| rowspan="2" |[[Douglas Turner Ward]]
| Also choreographer
|-
|''Frederick Douglass...Through His Own Words''
|[[Frederick Douglass]]
|Also playwright
|-
|1974
|''Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide''
|The Newscaster
|Dean Irby
|
|-
|1975
|''Waiting for Mongo''
|Doodybug
|[[Douglas Turner Ward]]
|
|-
|1976–77
|''The Brownsville Raid''
|Pvt. James Holliman
|[[Israel Hicks]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Lucille Lortel Theatre]]
|
|-
|1977
|''The Square Root of Soul''
|{{N/A}}
|Perry Schwartz
|As playwright
|-
|1979
|''Plays from Africa''
|
|Dean Irby
| rowspan="3" |[[St. Mark's Playhouse]]
|
|-
|1979
|''A Season to Unravel''
|Garrison
|[[Glenda Dickerson]]
|
|-
|1980
|''Lagrima del Diablo''
|Aquilo
|[[Richard Gant]]
|
|-
|1981–83
|''[[A Soldier's Play]]''
|Sgt. Vernon Waters
|[[Douglas Turner Ward]]
|Julia Miles Theater
|
|}

== Awards and honors ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Award
! Year
! Category
!Nominated work
! Outcome
|-
|[[Academy Award]]
|1985
|[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|''A Soldier's Story''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Daytime Emmy Award]]
|1987
|[[Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming|Outstanding Performer in Children's Programming]]
|''ABC Afterschool Specials'' ("Getting Even: A Wimp's Revenge")
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Drama Desk Award]]
|1982
|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play|Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play]]
|''A Soldier's Play''
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Award]]
|1985
|[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]
| rowspan="3" |''A Soldier's Story''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]]
|1984
|[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[NAACP Image Awards|NAACP Image Award]]
|1985
|[[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture|Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Obie Award]]
|1983
|Outstanding Off-Broadway Achievement
|''A Soldier's Play''
|{{won}}
|}

==References==
<references />
* {{cite web |title=Adolph Caesar Biography |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/17/Adolph-Caesar.html |work=filmreference |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-09-01}}

==External links==
*{{IBDB name}}
*{{IMDb name|128360}}
*[http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/5538 Adolph Caesar's Entry at the Lortel Archives]
*[http://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Adolph_Caesar Adolph Caesar's Entry at the Grindhouse Database]
*[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-07-me-16282-story.html Los Angeles Times]

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Adolph Caesar
| list = 
{{DramaDesk PlayOutstandingFeaturedActor 1975–1999}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
{{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caesar, Adolph}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:African Americans in the Korean War]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:African-American United States Navy personnel]]
[[Category:Afro-Latino culture in the United States]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American people of Dominica descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery]]
[[Category:Drama Desk Award winners]]
[[Category:George Washington Educational Campus alumni]]
[[Category:People from Harlem]]
[[Category:Male actors from Manhattan]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Manhattan]]
[[Category:United States Navy chiefs]]
[[Category:United States Navy corpsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]