DeWayne Jessie

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DeWayne Arthur Jessie (better known under his film role Otis Day or Otis Washington and a number of other spellings of his birth name; born February 21, 1951 in Los Angeles , California ) is an American actor and singer . He took his first dubbing role on television in 2008 when he became the first real-life person on Drawn Together to guest-star on the series.

life and career

Born in Los Angeles on the west coast of the USA , Jessie began his career as an actor in film and television in the late 1960s, when he made his first notable appearance in the film Tiger, Tiger (1969). The younger brother of Young Jessie , an R&B or jazz singer and songwriter , also played an essential role in the 1970 film Halls of Anger . After he appeared in an episode of Bill Cosby the following year , he came in in 1972 another film ( Police Station Los Angeles East ), but in an insignificant role. In 1973 he finally appeared in an episode each of Feuerwache 23 and Love, American Style and an appearance in the film The Furst Family of Washington , in which Jessie played one of the leading roles. In 1974 he got a role in the Playboy Enterprises film The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder and was seen in an episode of Kojak - Einsatz in Manhattan . In the following two years, Jessie was used more and more and got roles in the films Darktown Strutters (1975), Sparkle (1976), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976) and Car Wash - The Freaky Laundromat (1976) and he even starred in this award-winning film. Furthermore, an appearance in an episode of Police Story followed in 1976 .

From 1977 onwards, Jessie worked in other, sometimes larger, productions. So he was in the 1977 films The Money Is On The Street , How's Up? and in the biographical film Scott Joplin and made a short appearance in an episode of Starsky & Hutch . He finally had his most important appearance in 1978, when he slipped into the role of the fictional singer and band leader Otis Day in the film I believe, a horse kicks me , through which he finally became popular. In the film he lip-dubbed the singer Lloyd Williams, who sang the two songs Shama Lama Ding Dong and Shout . Otis Day & the Knights , the fictional band that can be seen in the film and is considered the best party band in the world there, was also after the production of the film, which achieved a certain cult status in the USA, among other things because John Belushi was there first major film appearance, successfully in use. In the first year after the film, the band played over 260 sold-out concerts. In 1989 their first and to date only album Shout , which was produced by George Clinton , was released. Three years earlier, a kind of documentary showing a live concert by Otis Day & the Knights was on video under the name Otis Day And The Knights: Otis !, My Man! released. Also in the late 1990s, the band, especially Otis Day , was successful and toured all over the United States. For the 25th anniversary of the film, the band organized a 70-city tour across the United States in 2002.

In addition to the successes with I believe a horse kicks me in, Jessie was shown in the film Thank God, It's Friday in the same year , followed by a break as an actor in 1979, during which he was mainly on the road with Otis Day & the Knights was. In 1980 he returned to the screen and was involved in three well-known film productions ( Blast - Wo die Büffel rohren , Gorp and Rage! ) And also made an appearance in an episode of the short-lived television series Beyond Westworld . This was followed by only a few engagements in film and television, which is why Jessie decided to slowly let his career end. After he was seen in an episode of Laverne & Shirley in 1981 , a quiet year followed in 1982, before he came to appearances in 1983 in the films A Judge Looks Red and The Chaotic Clique . After serving in an episode of Hill Street Police Station, Jessie's acting career largely ended. Later he could only be seen in the video publication of one of his concerts in 1986 ( Otis Day And The Knights: Otis !, My Man! ) And then in 2002 in that of John Landis , the director of I believe ', Me kicks a horse produced mockumentary Where Are They Now ?: A Delta Alumni Update . It should also be noted that Jessie and the rest of the band members were accepted as members of the Fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon of the University of Central Oklahoma in 1985 . He took on his first dubbing role on television in 2008 when he became the first real-life person on Drawn Together to guest star on the series.

Filmography

Film appearances (also short appearances)
Series appearances (also guest and short appearances)
Synchronous roles

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ According to other sources, also Madison , Wisconsin
personal data
SURNAME Jessie, DeWayne
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jessie, DeWayne Arthur (maiden name); Jesse, DeWayne; Jessie, De Wayne; Jessie, Dewayne; Day, Otis (stage name, film role); Washington, Otis (stage name, film role)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor, singer and voice actor
DATE OF BIRTH February 21, 1951
PLACE OF BIRTH Los Angeles , California