Raymond St. Jacques (born James Arthur Johnson; March 1, 1930 – August 27, 1990) was an American actor, director and producer whose career spanned over thirty years on stage, film and television. St. Jacques is noted as the first Black actor to appear in a regular role on a Western series. He portrayed Simon Blake on the eighth season of Rawhide (1965–1966).
Early life and education St. Jacques was born James Arthur Johnson in Hartford, Connecticut. He had a sister, Barbara Ann. Shortly after his birth, his parents divorced; he moved with his mother and sister to New Haven, Connecticut. St. Jacques' mother Vivienne later worked as a medical technician at Yale University.
After graduating from Hillhouse High School, St. Jacques attended Yale, where he studied drama and psychology. Upon graduation, he worked as an assistant director, actor and fencing instructor for the American Shakespearean Festival in New Haven. St. Jacques staged all of the fencing scenes and duels while at the company. He continued to practice fencing for the rest of his life.
After moving to New York City, St. Jacques continued to pursue acting and studied at the Actors Studio. To support himself, he worked as a model, dishwasher, and busboy.
St. Jacques's first professional acting role was in the off-Broadway play High Name Today. St. Jacques was cast in the role of "Judge" in the off-Broadway performance of Jean Genet's play The Blacks at St. Mark's Playhouse in 1960.
Career After appearing in bit parts on television in the early 1960s, St. Jacques made his film debut in a small part in the 1964 film Black Like Me. He followed with a villianous role in The Pawnbroker later that year. He appeared in supporting roles in The Comedians (1967) and The Green Berets (1968).
During the 1960s, St. Jacques also guest starred on numerous television shows, including East Side/West Side, Daktari, The Virginian, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. In 1965, he was cast as "Simon Blake" in the Western series Rawhide, the first African-American actor to be cast as a regular on a prime time Western series.
St. Jacques's best-known film roles were that of Coffin Ed in the blaxploitation classics Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) (adapted from crime novels by Chester Himes) and Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972). In the early 1970s, St. Jacques began teaching fencing and acting at the Mafundi Institute in Watts, Los Angeles. In 1973, he produced, directed, and starred in the crime film Book of Numbers.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, St. Jacques continued with roles on stage, film and television. He became known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces" due to the varied parts he played throughout his career. In 1976, St. Jacques starred as Othello in the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre production of the play of the same name. He remained active in stage work throughout his career, touring in productions of Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, A Raisin in the Sun, and the stage adaptation of The Man with the Golden Arm.
From 1988 to 1989, St. Jacques had a two-year stint as Judge Clayton C. Thomas on the syndicated TV show Superior Court. In 1989, he played abolitionist Frederick Douglass in Edward Zwick's film Glory. His final film role was in the 1991 science fiction film Timebomb, released after his death.
Personal life St. Jacques was a lifelong bachelor. In August 1969, St. Jacques granted an interview to columnist Earl Wilson and told Wilson of his plans to adopt two African-American boys who were six and seven years old.
By the early 1970s, St. Jacques said he had two older sons, Raymond, Jr and Sterling, the latter being adopted. In a 1973 interview, St. Jacques said that Raymond, Jr was living in Boston. In May 1972, Sterling, then reported to be 22 years old, made news after four men attempted to rob St. Jacques's Bel Air home while St. Jacques was in Dallas. Sterling was reported to be the only person home at the time, and fled after calling police. The four men were apprehended after their getaway car stalled in St. Jacques's driveway.
Sterling appeared in St. Jacques's 1973 film Book of Numbers. In the mid to late 1970s, he became known as a high fashion model. He was briefly engaged to fashion model Pat Cleveland. He also worked as a dancer and as a frequent figure in New York City nightclubs and society life. In her 2016 memoir Walking with Muses, Cleveland said that their engagement ended because Sterling was gay. According to Cleveland's memoir, Sterling St Jacques died of complications of AIDS in 1992. (His death has never been officially confirmed.)
In a 1988 interview with the Chicago Tribune, St. Jacques still said he had two sons and that Sterling was appearing on a television show in Düsseldorf.
Activism St. Jacques frequently spoke of the prejudices he and other black actors faced and difficulties in getting roles as non-stereotypical, thoughtful characters. He later worked to help African Americans find work behind the camera. In 1977, he publicly criticized the lack of minority actors in Star Wars (which he said he saw five times) and other science fiction films.
St. Jacques was an activist for African-American civil rights. In 1985, he and other protestors were arrested during an anti-apartheid demonstration outside of the South African embassy in Washington, D.C.
Death On August 27, 1990, St. Jacques died of lymphoma at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. His funeral was held on August 31 at The Church of the Recessional at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, after which he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1963 East Side/West Side Dr. Warren Season 1, Episode 6 "No Wings at All"1964 Black Like Me Burial Insurance Salesman 1964 The Pawnbroker Tangee 1964 Dr. Kildare Dr. Hassan S4:E12 "Catch a Crooked Mouse"1965 Slattery's People Bud Rollins Season 1, Episode 18 "Question: How Do You Catch a Cool Bird of Paradise?"1965 Mister Moses Ubi 1965 Rawhide Simon Blake 13 episodes1966 Mister Buddwing Hank 1966 Daktari Emir of Asambana Season 2, Episode 5 "Cheetah at Large"1966 I Spy Edward, Prince Edward Season 2, Episode 6 "Trial by Treehouse"1966 The Virginian Allerton S5:E8 "Trail to Ashley Mountain"1966 Daniel Boone Nimrod Season 3, Episode 8 "Onatha"1966 The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Big Feets Charley S1:E10 "The Paradise Lost Affair"1966 The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Arunda S3:E14 "The My Friend the Gorilla Affair"1967 The Green Hornet Hollis Silver S1:E16 "Seek, Stalk, and Destroy"1967 The Comedians Captain Concasseur 1968 Tarzan Walter Wilson S2:E16 "The Creeping Giant"1968 The Invaders James A. Baxter Season 2, Episode 22 "The Vise"1968 Madigan Dr. Taylor 1968 The Green Berets Sgt. Doc McGee 1968 If He Hollers, Let Him Go! James Lake 1968 The Name of the Game Lieutenant Ross Cutler S1:E13 "The Black Answer"1968 Uptight B.G. 1969 Change of Mind David Rowe 1969 The Monk Lieutenant Edward Heritage 1970 Cotton Comes to Harlem Coffin Ed Johnson 1970 Dan August Jimmy Barlowe Season 1, Episode 6 "The Color of Fury"1971 Neighbors Bill Gunther 1972 Cool Breeze Bill Mercer 1972 The Final Comedown Imir 1972 Come Back, Charleston Blue Coffin Ed Johnson 1973 Book of Numbers Blueboy Harris 1973 Police Story Charlie Sykes S1:E5 "The Ho Chi Minh Trail"1974 Lost in the Stars John Kumalo 1974 Police Story Chris Massey Season 2, Episode 9 "Love, Mabel"1975 Search for the Gods Raymond Stryker 1975 McCloud Gregory S6:E1 "Park Avenue Pirates"1975 The Rookies Hank Brooks Season 4, Episode 6 "Reign of Terror"1975 Police Story Floyd S3:E5 "The Cut Man Caper"1976 Police Woman Alex Steeves S2:E19 "Wednesday's Child"1976 Gemini Man Hali Jamada S1:E10 "Return of the Lion"1977 Hunter Sebastian S1:E11 "The Chand is Burning"1977 Roots The Drummer TV Mini-Series, Episode: "Part IV"1977 The Andros Targets Raymond Peters S1:E5 "A Labor Czar Is Missing"1977 The Bionic Woman Azzar S3:E6 "African Connection"1977 Little House on the Prairie Manager L. Moody Season 4, Episode 10 "The Fighter"1977 The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover Martin Luther King 1977 The Baron Peter Mosten 1978 Secrets of Three Hungry Wives Detective Inspector George Dunbar 1978 Born Again Jimmy Newsom 1978 Vega$ Lieutenant Nelson Season 1, Episode 7 "Milliken's Stash"1979 Quincy, M.E. Dr. Charles Martin S4:E12 "A Small Circle of Friends"1979 Wonder Woman William Mayfield S3:E19 "The Girl with a Gift for Disaster"1979 Hizzonner Mayor Bacuda Season 1, Episode 5 "The Book Story"1979 The 416th Colonel Davis 1979 B.J. and the Bear Bobby S2:E7 "The Eyes of Texas"1980 Cuba Crossing Mr. Bell 1980 House Calls Arlan Lewis Season 1, Episode 7 "Mobster Tale"1980 Insight Colonel Bokatu Episode "Cargoes"1981 Enos Davis Burton S1:E7 "The House Cleaners"1981 Hart to Hart Laurance Roche S2:E15 "Getting Aweigh with Murder"1981 The Sophisticated Gents D'Artagnan 'Dart' Parks TV Mini-Series, 3 episodes1981 Fantasy Island Camptown Dodds S4:E21, segment "Basin Street"1982 Strike Force Ed Ortega Season 1, Episode 14 "Turnabout"1982 Fantasy Island Dupres S6:E1, segment "Curse of the Moreaus"1982 Gavilan Ki-Tai DuChamp S1:E1 "Sarah and the Buzz"1983 Voyagers! Massandi S1:E12 "Buffalo Bill and Annie Play the Palace"1983 The Powers of Matthew Star Wolfson Season 1, Episode 15 "Dead Man's Hand"1983 Matt Houston Psychiatrist Season 1, Episode 15 "Get Houston"1983 Trapper John, M.D. Dr. Riggs Martin Season 5, Episode 6 "The Final Cut"1983 Falcon Crest Dr. Arthur Hooks 7 episodes1983 The Love Boat Tom Niver Season 6, Episode 16 "Doc's Big Case/Senior Sinners/A Booming Romance"1984 The Evil That Men Do Randolph 1984 Airwolf President Seko Logana Season 1, Episode 9 "And They Are Us"1984 Cagney & Lacey Jim Driscoll Season 4, Episode 9 "Hooked"1984 The Fall Guy Tom Riley Season 3, Episode 15 "Bite of the Wasp"1984 Murder, She Wrote Doctor S1:E1 "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes"1985 The Fall Guy Ed Simmons Season 4, Episode 20 "Spring Break"1985 Hardcastle and McCormick Rod Frazier S2:E20 "Undercover McCormick"1985 Murder, She Wrote Chief Inspector Claude Rensselaer S2:E1 "Widow, Weep for Me"1985 The Love Boat Ramon Season 9, Episode 3 "Hidden Treasure/Picture from the Past/Ace's Salary"1986 Dallas Inspector Remy Season 9, Episode 25 "Just Desserts"1986 Dark Mansions Davis 1986 227 Mr. Hatcher Season 2, Episode 6 "Pillow Talk"1986 Amen Jason Adderly Season 1, Episode 8 "Maitre D'eacon"1986 Amen Mr. Waters Season 1, Episode 10 "After the Fall"1987 Starman Judge Arthur Richardson Season 1, Episode 12 "The System"1987 Hunter Judge Clancy Season 3, Episode 18 "A Child Is Born"1987 The Wild Pair Ivory 1988 A Different World Professor Charles Moseley Season 1, Episode 14 "Wild Child"1988 They Live Street Preacher 1988-1989 Superior Court Judge Clayton C. Thomas 3 episodes1989 MacGyver President Dakru Season 4, Episode 16 "Brainwashed" 1989 Snoops General Ben Martin S1:E3 "The Big Brass Cookie Jar"1989 Glory Frederick Douglass Uncredited1991 Voodoo Dawn Claude Released posthumously 1991 Timebomb Det. Sanchez Released posthumously
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