Cleavon Little

Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Little began his career in the late 1960s on the stage. In 1970, he starred in the Broadway production of Purlie for which he earned both a Drama Desk  and a Tony Award. In 1972, Little starred as the irreverent Dr. Jerry Noland on the ABC sitcom Temperatures Rising. Two years later, he starred in the role for which he is best known, as Sheriff Bart in the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles.