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Bill Nunn

1953 – 2016

American actor

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About Bill Nunn

Lived 1953 – 2016 (aged 62). Bill Nunn was an American stage actor, film actor, television actor and actor.

William Goldwyn Nunn III (October 20, 1953 – September 24, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his collaborations with director Spike Lee, notably as Radio Raheem in Do the Right Thing. He also portrayed Daily Bugle editor Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–07), and co-starred in the sitcoms The Job (2001–02) and Sirens (2014–15).

Early life Bill Nunn III was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Frances Nunn and William G. Nunn, Jr., a journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier and a National Football League scout. His paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School. While ball boys for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Nunn and current Steelers president Art Rooney II stole "Mean" Joe Greene's car during training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. "Joe Greene showed up in a beautiful green Lincoln Continental, and me and Bill Nunn, Jr. were ball boys. Somehow Bill got the keys one night and we decided to take it for a ride. We only told Joe that story about 10 years ago. We figured that enough time had passed that we could disclose our little joy ride." He attended college with Spike Lee and appeared in several of Lee's early feature films. and is best known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Lee's Do the Right Thing, and as Nino Brown's bodyguard Duh Duh Duh Man in New Jack City. Some of his other film credits include Lee's Mo' Better Blues and He Got Game, as well as Regarding Henry, Sister Act, Canadian Bacon, The Last Seduction, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Runaway Jury, Spider-Man trilogy (as Joseph "Robbie" Robertson), Firehouse Dog, the television series The Job, Randy and The Mob, and the 2016 televised adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun.

Nunn also performed on stage, including August Wilson's Fences, a Pittsburgh-based play in which Nunn performed with Anthony Mackie, who played Nunn's character's son. in Pittsburgh's Hill District; he was 62 years old.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes Ref 1981 Sharky's Machine Kitten's Bouncer Uncredited 1988 School Daze Grady 1989 Do the Right Thing Radio Raheem A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court School Teacher Glory 54th Massachusetts Soldier Uncredited 1990 Def by Temptation Dougy Cadillac Man Grave Digger Mo' Better Blues Bottom Hammer (Bass) 1991 New Jack City "Duh Duh Man" Regarding Henry Bradley White Lie Chief Adams 1992 Sister Act Lt. Eddie Souther 1993 Loaded Weapon 1 Police Photographer Blood Brothers William Crawford 1994 The Last Seduction Harlan Save Me Detective Vincent 1995 Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh Reverend Ellis Canadian Bacon Kabral Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead "Easy Wind" True Crime Detective Jerry Guinn Money Train Crash Train Motorman 1996 Bulletproof DEA Agent Finch Extreme Measures Detective Bob Burke 1997 Quicksilver Highway Len Kiss the Girls Detective John Sampson Mad City Cliff Williams Uncredited 1998 He Got Game Uncle Bubba Ambushed Watts Fatboy 1999 The Legend of 1900 Danny Boodman The Tic Code Kingston Foolish Jimmy Beck The Hungry Bachelors Club Moses Grady 2000 Lockdown Charles 2002 Spider-Man Joe "Robbie" Robertson People I Know Reverend Lyle Blunt 2003 Runaway Jury Lonnie Shaver 2004 Spider-Man 2 Joe "Robbie" Robertson 2006 Out There Desmond Idlewild G.W. 2007 Firehouse Dog Joe Musto Spider-Man 3 Joe "Robbie" Robertson Randy and the Mob Wardlowe Gone 2008 Little Bear and the Master The Warden 2009 Help Me, Help You Detective 2012 Won't Back Down Principal Holland

Television Main cast; Season 2

Theatre

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Morehouse College, Schenley High School
Also known as
William Goldwyn Nunn III

People in Bill Nunn's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Bill Nunn's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Bill Nunn?

American actor (1953–2016)

When was Bill Nunn born?

Bill Nunn was born on 20 October 1953 in Pittsburgh.

When did Bill Nunn die?

Bill Nunn died on 24 September 2016 in Pittsburgh.

What was Bill Nunn's occupation?

Bill Nunn was a stage actor, film actor, television actor and actor.

What nationality was Bill Nunn?

Bill Nunn was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Bill Nunn

· Wikidata: Q279834

· DBpedia: Bill Nunn

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Bill Nunn. https://biography.guide/bill-nunn/

MLA: "Bill Nunn." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/bill-nunn/.

Chicago: "Bill Nunn." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/bill-nunn/.

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