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Actor

1940-03-04 · Montgomery County, Alabama, USA · Male

25 series in the catalog

Ji-Tu Cumbuka (March 4, 1940 – July 4, 2017) was an American actor.

He is best remembered as "Torque" in the short-lived TV series A Man Called Sloane together with Robert Conrad and Dan O'Herlihy.

In 2011, Cumbuka published his autobiography A Giant to Remember: The Black Actor in Hollywood. He has a son and a granddaughter.

Early life

Cumbuka was born in 1940 in Helena, Alabama, to a Baptist minister. After attending Texas Southern University he moved to California to pursue his acting career, and went to Columbia College in New York City, earning a Bachelor of Arts in theatre and a master's degree in cinematography. He landed a role in the 1968 movie Uptight directed by Jules Dassin.

Acting career

Cumbuka appeared in such television productions as the Roots miniseries, Daniel Boone, Young Dan'l Boone, Knots Landing, The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard, Murder She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Amen, 227, Sanford and Son, Hunter, In the Heat of the Night, and Matlock. He was a main cast member of the spy TV series A Man Called Sloane with Robert Conrad and Dan O'Herlihy.

Cumbuka also appeared in numerous films. He appeared as former NBA guard Oscar Robertson in the biodrama pic Maurie (1973) about the life of Maurice Stokes. In Harlem Nights (1989), he plays the toothless drunk gambler who gets shot over money. Other films in which he appeared include (but are not limited to) Change of Habit with Elvis Presley (1969), Blacula (1972), Trader Horn (1973), Lost in the Stars (1974), Mandingo (1975), Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976), Bound for Glory (1976), The Jericho Mile (1979), Doin' Time (1985), Brewster's Millions (1985), Volunteers (1985), Out of Bounds (1986), Moving (1988), and Caged in Paradiso (1990).

Cumbuka wrote, produce, and acted in the gospel musical play Help Somebody, co-starring with Kene Holliday, Hall Williams, Ali Woodson, and Glynn Turman. It debuted in Washington, D.C. in the late 90s.

Death

Cumbuka died at the age of 77 on July 4, 2017, after a six-month battle with cancer.

In a statement to CNN, Eddie Murphy said, "It's a sad day for everyone in the industry. He was a great actor and a good man."