Mel Stewart

Milton "Mel" Stewart (September 19, 1929 – February 24, 2002) was an American character actor, television director and musician who appeared in numerous films and television shows from the 1960s to the 1990s. He is perhaps best known for playing Henry Jefferson on All in the Family and section chief Billy Melrose on the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Stewart is sometimes credited as Melvin Stewart or Mel Stuart.

Career Stewart began his acting career in 1959 with small roles on television and in films. In the early 1960s, he appeared in the Broadway shows Purlie Victorious, The Hostage, The Cool World and Simply Heavenly.

Stewart's early career also included notable work as a voice actor. He provided the narration for "Scenes in the City", a long jazz composition with text by Lonne Elder and Langston Hughes that appeared on Charles Mingus' 1957 album A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry. In 1961, Stewart recorded an album of Langston Hughes' poetry on Folkways Records titled Langston Hughes' The Best of Simple. He was also a member of the San Francisco-based improv group The Committee, with whom he performed on The Dick Cavett Show in 1969. That same year, Stewart was part of the cast of Turn-On, which notoriously ended after one episode.

Stewart played roles in various television series including That Girl, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Bob Newhart Show, Good Times and Harry O. One of his most memorable roles was as Henry Jefferson, George Jefferson's brother, in three seasons of the series All in the Family. In 1973, he co-starred in the short-lived series Roll Out. The following year, Stewart directed two episodes of the short-lived series Get Christie Love! (which starred fellow Turn-On cast member Teresa Graves) and costarred in On the Rocks. After that series was canceled in 1976, Stewart portrayed Marvin Decker in the Bewitched spinoff series Tabitha from 1977 to 1978.

Stewart starred on Scarecrow and Mrs. King as section chief Billy Melrose during the show's four-year run from 1983 through 1987, and continued guest-starring in both television and films. His last on-screen appearance came in the 1993 film Made in America.

Side projects In addition to acting and directing, Stewart was an accomplished jazz saxophonist. A longtime resident of San Francisco, he also taught acting at San Francisco State University.

He established the theater group Black Actors Now Through Unity (BANTU) and directed plays at the Center for African and African-American Art and Culture in San Francisco and the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley, California.

A third degree black belt in aikido, Stewart opened a dojo for inner-city youth in the Bayview district of San Francisco.

Personal life and death On July 11, 1976, Stewart married Annie Dong. The couple had one child together, a daughter. On February 24, 2002, Stewart died of Alzheimer's disease.

Filmography + Film Year Title Role Notes 1959 Odds Against Tomorrow Hotel Juno Elevator Operator Uncredited 1959 Shadows Man at Party Uncredited 1963 Greenwich Village Story Alex 1963 The Cool World Con-man 1964 Nothing but a Man Riddick 1967 Funnyman Phil 1967 Petulia Supermarket Clerk Uncredited 1970 Professor Duboise Credited as Melvin Stewart 1971 Cry Uncle! Lt. Fowler Alternative titles: American OddballsSuper DickCredited as Melvin Stewart 1972 Hammer Professor Alternative title: BJ Hammer 1972 Trick Baby Blue Howard 1973 Steelyard Blues Black Man in Jail Alternative title: The Final Crash 1973 Scorpio Pick 1973 Kid Blue Blackman 1973 Blood, Black and White 1974 Newman's Law Quist 1975 Let's Do It Again Ellison 1981 Whose Life Is It Anyway? Dr. Barr 1988 Dead Heat Captain Mayberry 1989 Martians Go Home Judge 1989 Bride of Re-Animator Dr. Graves Alternative title: Re-Animator 2 1993 Made in America Principal Rockwell (final film role)

+ Television Year Title Role Notes 1962 Car 54, Where Are You? Officer Episode: "That's Show Business"Uncredited 1963 Naked City Pharmacist Episode: "Barefoot on a Bed of Coals"Uncredited 1964 Grand Jury Foreman Episode: "The Love of a Smart Operator" 1969 The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Mr. Harris Episode #1.1 1969 Turn-On Various characters 2 episodes 1971–1973 All in the Family Henry Jefferson 8 episodes 1972 Dawson Episode: "A Single Blow of a Sword" 1973 Mr. Dabney Episode: "Not With My Sister You Don't" 1974 Toma George Sawtelle Episode: "A Funeral for Max Berlin" 1974 Lucas Tanner Mr. Browder Episode: "Look the Other Way"1975On the RocksMr. GibsonSeries regular 1975 Police Lieutenant Episode: "Charlie Harris at Large" 1975 That's My Mama Laforche Episode: "Business Is Business" 1977 What's Happening!! Spike Gibbs Episode: "The Hospital Stay" 1977 Sanford and Son Clarence Episode: "Fred the Activist" 1979 Roots: The Next Generations Dr. Crawford Miniseries 1979 Benson Loromo Episode: "The President's Double" 1980 Soap Walter Coleman Episode: "3.14 1980 One in a Million Raymond Simmons Main cast 1981 Little House: A New Beginning Hertzell Lundy Episode: "Make a Joyful Noise" 1981 Sherman Episode: "Saturday Night on Sunset Boulevard" 1983–1987 Scarecrow and Mrs. King Billy Melrose series regular 1983 The Kid with the 200 I.Q. Debs television film 1983 The Invisible Woman Security Guard television film 1984 Cheers Man Episode: "Coach Buries a Grudge" 1987 Amen Brother Clark Episode: "California Dreaming" 1988 Frank's Place Ben Coleman Episode: "Cultural Exchange" 1989 227 Jack McGee Episode: "The Real Decoys" 1989 Matlock Sgt Lou Marshall Episodes: "The Mayor: Part 1""The Mayor: Part 2" 1989 Judge Episode: "Love Under the Big Top" 1990 In the Heat of the Night Calvin Peterson Episodes: "Brotherly Love: Part 1""Brotherly Love: Part 2""Lessons Learned"