Photo by Warner Bros. Television. Thats one of the ways we found John Henton, although John Henton was in a failed pilot that I had seen, I think it was two years priorbut he was primarily a stand-up. Carson, who is no slouch in the looks department but whose best asset is arguably his deep, booming voice. Queen Latifah has leveraged her career in Hip-Hop to a bevy of acting gigs, commercial contracts, singing performances and more. But I didnt think at the time, Oh snap, this is gonna be iconic. [Ceci] really let me be involved because she said, Youre gonna be the bride, and she let me choose, with her help of course, the bridesmaids dresses because, again, youve got three other body types. So, that was the best thing that we kind of brought to it, just the fact that theyre from Cleveland and I got a chance to represent my hometown. It wasnt really the show I wanted to do, and I asked for some time to think about what the show could be. Theres just so much flavor and culture and, quite frankly, we were somewhat limited by our multi-cam format, but I think we captured it as well as [we] could have given the nature of our show and our limited budget. We didnt have the Friends budget, she continued. Unfortunately, the celebrations were cut short when he got into a tragic car accident that resulted in severe injuries and a mini-coma. It's like, now's the time. Youre probably very familiar with the storylines of both of these characters, but how much do you know about John himself? For Lee Bowser, the fans enthusiasm for whatever comes next remains one of the most rewarding parts of the shows journey. Coles is known for her roles as a cast member on In Living Color for the first season (1990-1991) and as Synclaire James-Jones on television sitcom Living Single (19931998), which both originally aired on Fox. And again, I understood that. And that was sort of the impetus of the idea: We wanna do a show with a bunch of women, how they feel about men. People of the African diaspora, Caribbean people, all of this, they were sending the tapes over because You need to see this show and thats how it has incredible impact and Im proud of it and I cant wait to keep hearing where it goes next and next and next. Erika Alexander was recently spotted in the sitcom within a sitcom on Issa Raes Insecure show, and shes also been doing her thing on TV and film over the years, including a hilarious spot as a cop in Get Out.. Prior to his role as the charming and successful Kyle Barker, Terrence "T.C." But it didnt feel nasty. After "Living Single" ended, Henton would immediately move on to the main cast of another successful sitcom, "The Hughleys." She had a photographic memory, and she was technically always very precise. Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook.Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Keeping with the Black dont crack sentiment, T.C. The comedian then became serious when he revealed what caused his accident. He launched his eight-year, 10-game stint as Kratos with the original "God of War" game. I love them, and so I think that was the germ of the idea. Description. He has also done a lot more live theater in the past few years where his acting career originally began most recently in the traveling production of "War Words.". Born Dana Elaine Owens in New Jersey in 1970, Queen Latifahs groundbreaking emergence into the rap music scene in the late 1980s paved the way for her to be cast on Living Single, which would lead to a very successful movie career, including her Oscar-nominated role in Chicago from 2002. Not too many fans knew that the two were a couple in real life for a time. See what the cast of Fox's groundbreaking sitcom has been up to since rooming together in a Brooklyn brownstone. After that, she was all-in on acting, steadily working on television throughout the '90s, 2000s, and 2010s. Three of the women were roommates: Khadijah James (Latifah), the fearless editor of a black magazine called Flavor; Khadijahs bubbly cousin and assistant, Synclaire James (Coles), and a spunky, projects-raised boutique saleswoman named Regine Hunter (Kim Fields). Featuring six Black comedic stars, the show quickly became the most popular sitcom of its era. Well, do you know what it costs to live in New York? I used to look at movies with Gene Kelly and the woman that they would partner him with, and Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and you wonder how they move almost in sync. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. We definitely enhanced it as we started to learn peoples strengths and weakness, but the Kyle and Max thing was there from the pilot, Lee Bowser said. Kyle and Max both loathed and loved one another. Jason has been writing since he was able to pick up a washable marker, with which he wrote his debut illustrated children's story, later transitioning to a short-lived comic book series and (very) amateur filmmaking before finally settling on pursuing a career in writing about movies in lieu of making them. Williams' most notable characters also include Wyatt Mathewson, the hitman from the popular series Prison Break, and Tucker Jones, Miranda Bailey's first husband on Grey's Anatomy. Were actually born on the same day in real lifeboth November 19th Scorpios.The first season, they paired Maxine up with going back and forth with Regine a lot. Each of the characters are parts of me and my girlfriendstheyre all amalgamations. Anything that could move was great. I turned those lemons into lemonade. John Henton on July 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images. Kim Fields did her best to stay out of the drama during Season 8 of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, . This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. We definitely amused ourselves. I would show up to rehearsal tomorrow. Carson was definitely smooth back in the day on the show and continues that streak in his cat daddy years as a sought-after voice actor and jazz vocalist. And then I found out Queen Latifah was in itQueen Latifah had, like, the No. And those conversations resulted in a better show and a show that had more richness and dimension to it than just the writers could provide. Naturally, the actors knew their roles were just thatcharactersbut that didnt stop them from getting attached to the storylines (or each other). It was a very well-written episode. And, again, Im a product of Whoopi Goldbergs largesse and her success. So it really helped to push the boundaries of the walls of his character. The now 62-year-old actor and jazz musician has a number of big screen and small screen projects on the horizon, including The Forgettable Life of Liam White, which is expected to appear as part of the upcoming 2021 movies schedule. Unlike Will Smith, who was an unknown quantity as an actor when he first started on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," rapper Queen Latifah had already been showcasing her acting talents prior to "Living Single." I think in the pilot you can actually hear I had a little bit of flair because [he] was one of my favorite comics and we were all working on the road all the time and I had a little bit of Steve Harvey country. And she said, I dont know. Due to the popularity of the show, Coles landed the role of the hilarious Synclaire on Living Single, which cemented her legacy in pop culture. I love men. And his Africanness, I dont think they were looking for that, but I thought it was really important to show how someone could be on Wall Street but still connected to their heritage and still infuse how they lived and dressed with their heritage and still make it work in todays world. Erika Alexander has started a talent and content development company called Color Farm Media with the specific goal of diversifying Hollywood in the process: Were Motown. Let us know if we missed anything. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories! To that end, the vast majority of his acting roles post-"Living Single" have played to that strength, with Carson lending his powerful pipes to many animated films, TV shows, and video games. . And I think if thats black love, then yeah. It was that we became close and the TV show was the beneficiary of it. He shares that FOX dropped the show in the middle of its fifth season and just started airing its re-runs. Okay. I said, Theyre from Cleveland. Spike Lees movie, Jungle Fever, there was a scene where a bunch of women were sitting around talking about men and life and all of that. They had been anticipating [it] the whole time. And there was also a wonderful artist, her name is Aklia, and she made a lot of jewelry for the show. Alexander: T.C. Queen Latifah, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields, Kim Coles, John Henton, and Mel Jackson in Living Single (1993) Thats my story. Like we werent saying, Keepin it real back then, but thats appropriate to describe her outfits. And then they called me out for a callback, a screen test, and then on, I think, a Tuesday, we went in and I read with Erika that Wednesday, and I think I went to work that Thursday. Fields: What drew me to acting when I was a child was seeing my mother onstage with Pearl Bailey in Hello, Dolly! By Oyin Balogun. We became family instantly and not for the sake of, Well yeah, we better be close because we makin a TV show. The characters are Khadijah (Queen Latifah), Synclaire (Kim Coles), Maxine or "Max" (Erika Alexander), Overton (John Henton), Regina or "Regine" (Kim Fields), Kyle (T.C. John Henton and Kim Coles in Living Single. This whole lifes journey is about identity. LIVING SINGLE, Erika Alexander, Queen Latifah, Kim Fields, Kim Coles, 1993-1998, (c) Warner Brothers, John Henton (Overton "Obie" Wakefield Jones), Cress Williams (Terrence "Scooter" Williams). And then they had something. Synclaire and Overton was there from the pilot. Obie was slowly working a plan, from the pilot. And so I got a chance to be involved in all of that. And so, I justmaybe thats the name of my next book, Women You Will Love. Living Single (1993-1998) was always labeled a 'black show,' so why. One example of that would be when we were testing the Overton-Synclaire relationship and we brought in Shemar Moore, and he kissed Synclaire. I really wanted to be what I thought would be the black Lois Lane on a show called M.A.N.T.I.S., and I didnt end up getting that show. But walking around with her face is really something interesting, because wherever I go, I have instances whether its [Georgia gubernatorial candidate] Stacey Abrams; Marilyn Mosby up in Baltimore, the states attorneythese people come to me and say they went into politics because of Maxine Shaw partly. Kyle was quick-witted while Overton took his time to find the right words; Kyle was a ladies' man while Overton was content with pining over Synclaire; and Kyle had a stressful and high-paying job while Overton was just a chill building maintenance man. Im in a good place, and I love that theres the opportunity to take some of my seniority and my life experience and my professional experience and lend that wisdom to other peoples creative vision, she said. Apr 19, 2019 07:45 P.M. John Henton, who played Obie Jones on "Living Single," survived a near-death crash that almost ended his life. He would go on to be a main or recurring cast member on multiple shows, including "E.R.," "Veronica Mars," "Grey's Anatomy," "Friday Night Lights," and "Hart of Dixie." Though Terrence "Scooter" Williams only appeared in 10 episodes of "Living Single," he would end up playing a hugely important role in the series. I had meetings with them, with Latifah and [Coles], visually to get a better sense of who they were and what was important to them, and I decided to also take that to help create the characters for them very specifically, but in a universe that was very much inspired by my own personal life and the very close relationships I have with my girlfriends to this day. So we were in there just cracking jokes and we had so much fun. Concurring with her role as Cousin Pam was her role alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990 film The Long Walk Home. We transcended the cameras and the barrier of television, the literal barrier of a TV set. Kim Coles. The closest that "Living Single" came to the wacky neighbor trope was through Overton, played by John Henton. Actor and comedian John Henton was forty years old when he had a significant brush with death. and she said, No, but I had an auntie in the States and she would put the show on VCR tapes and she would name the tapeand this is gonna make me cryWomen You Will Love. We didnt even know the name of the show! He wasnt an ex-con, he didnt have a gun in his hand. Chip Fields played the recurring character of Laverne Hunter,the mother of real-life daughter Kim Fields' character Regina, across all five seasons of "Living Single." It was and remains an impressive feat. Lee Bowser: What do people take away [from Living Single]? The actor-comedian recovered from his ordeal by focusing on his life. I think thats the thing that people see in the show. Photo: Leon Bennett / Stringer (Getty Images) . The 26 Best Walmart Deals to Shop This Weekend, Queen Latifah Calls 'Chicago' the Film That Changed Her Life Ahead of 20th Anniversary (Exclusive). Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Kim Fields is still in the business on the back end of things in the world of directing, and also made a return to television in 2017 with Living The Dream. Since her days as a child actor to now, Fields focuses on being effortlessly flawless, pushing her book, and raising her sons with her husband in Atlanta. Theres a chance that if I hadnt been in the pre-reads, that maybe [Leder] wouldnt have seen in him what I saw in him, and then he may not have been brought to me as a producer. [Henton is] a gentleman and I never once felt weird with him. Wow. Kim Coles still does stand-up (often co-headlining with her Living Single husband, John Henton) and offers lessons in public speaking and narrative development. The minute I would put on her clothes, I had my hairstyle, theyd give me a little makeupI knew what to do. Max is from a very different place than Khadijah is, but you believe that these two girls went to college together and became the truest, bluest friends, and are to this day. Getting six series-regular actorsand even more guest starsto mesh perfectly is no simple science. The actor continued to score small roles in television up through 2015. Credit: Everett Collection; David Livingston/Getty Images, Credit: Everett Collection; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images, Credit: Everett Collection; Michael Schwartz/WireImage, Credit: Everett Collection; Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images, Credit: Everett Collection; Bobby Bank/WireImage, Credit: Everett Collection; Paras Griffin/WireImage, Credit: Everett Collection; Mike Coppola/Getty Images, Credit: Everett Collection; Moses Robinson/Getty Images. And she made me cry! After his set on the late-night talk show, Henton's career took off. They would think its too soft or whatever, but he was like, Lets do some traditional this, and do these pants, and the drawstring this, and some interesting shoes. I admired, of course, Latifah because she was the queen and I had come from New York and appreciated her being so strong and effective in her rap and, more importantly, kind of representing the tomboy part of who I thought I was. Living Single is a beloved series that set a precedent for modern pop culture favorites such as Insecure. The ensemble was fantastic, and the black audiences loved it, so it was devastating for many when the show was canceled. The actresses starred on the hitFox sitcom Living Singleduring its five-season run. When she wore a suit, it was always balanced [because] when she got home sometimes, she would just wear a jersey and some jeans. Reggie Mckiver and Kim Coles were divorced in Aton Edwards and Kim Coles were divorced in 1 See Whether or not the two actually end up and stay together is a frequent topic of speculation amongst fans of the show. In 2000, he was involved in a serious car accident that broke both of his legs and nine teeth, and shattered one of his eye sockets. But it was those coats, capesit was things that, there was flourish. And Id come up with what Id thought was a very good concept and my dear friend Rocky Carroll is who I was asking, Hey would you be the male counterpart? Carson: We werent play-acting. And an honesty to a fault, because they were honest with each other, and yet the passion and the lust was there. John Henton, Overton Obie Jones: It was pilot season in 93. Yvette was like, Yep, this is exactly what we were looking for. Perhaps one of the most satisfying elements of the shows chemistry was the varying approaches that the writers took to romantic connections between the characters. Kim Coles, an American actress, comedian, and game show host, is well-known for her appearances on the television show In Living Color. Although he didn't die, the almost fatal crash cost him to lose eleven teeth and break his two legs. And the budget was meager. Carson, Kyle Barker: I had auditioned for Living Single when I was still living in Chicago and sent an audition tape in, and they had basically said no at first. Sounds familar? A world-class playboy and part-time secret agent from the 1960s emerges after thirty years in a cryogenic state to battle with his nemesis Dr. I think in all those friends, we saw things that we dont normally see, and thats what I was really proud of being a part of. So I'm gonna stay in a state of yes, it will happen one day. And I love Brooklyn, so I wanted to at least pretend that I was there, the California-bred showrunner said with a laugh. The budding romance between her and Overton is as charming as it is innocent, feeling more like young puppy love than the sexually-charged energy between characters like Kyle and Max. So we knew we had something special, but just to be, just constantly still on TV for 25 years? And, according to her former record producer Dante Ross, she still makes music, but whether or not it will see the light of day is uncertain. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Connect any celebrity with Kim Coles to see how closely they are linked romantically! Kim Fields grew up under the spotlight: Her mother, Chip Fields, was a singer, actress, and TV director. Living Single: The Reunion Show: Directed by Jay Silverman. The rest of the cast was largely rounded out by stand-up comedians and others who were fairly new in their acting careers, save for one particular actor who had already been in the business for 20 years when "Living Single" debuted. Carson did have a bit of a reputation for bringing his distinct, Afrocentric flair to everything Kyle Barker did, said, andmost importantlywore. Ceci: What I liked about [Khadijah] was she was still like, keepin it real. and I was like, Really? Post-Living Single, the actor starred on ABC's The Hughleys with D.L. Weve just had a great relationship; hes a terrific collaborator. In '93, the same year she landed Living Single, Latifah earned a Grammy Award for her single "U.N.I.T.Y." And one of the reasons she was so much fun to play is because she was the exact opposite of me. Henton told his audience that, after he woke up from his coma, he felt refreshed, but won't recommend it to anyone. More Alleged Abuse Victims of Jonathan Majors Come Forward, L's & Found: Nike Restocking Air Jordan 1 "Lost and Found" This Week, Allegedly, Elon Musk Insists George Washington Was More Than A Slave Owner, Bill Maher Stans, BET Uncut Is Not Coming Back; Here's Its 15 Wildest Videos Anyway, 15 Music Stars Who Had Disturbing Relationships With Their Entourages [Photos], 7 Black Musicians Who Died of AIDS [PHOTOS], Baes & Baddies: Meet Curvy Ghanaian-American Beauty Kristiana King. Im forever grateful to the writing and producing team for the end of Regines run on Living Single where, after all is said and done, she got her fairytale. He was really down for that. Shes locked in time, so shell never get older. Before playing the role of a successful magazine founder in NYC, Queen Latifah was known for her musical talent. Born Kimberly LaShaunda Coles on 11th January, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA, she is famous for In Living Color, Living Single in a career that spans 1989-present. One of the reasons Im in show business is because my mother saw me go across the stage in eighth grade to pick up a surprise award at a graduation, and she said, Erika, I was so embarrassed! And she says, Im writing this ensemble comedy and one of the characters, I actually had you in mind, I had your voice in mind when I was writing. Her "Living Single" character was Max, the only of the core six characters to not live in one of the two apartments that the others all live in for much of the series. Its about chemistry and its about luck. from a fellow capricorn. Season five begins as Overton and Synclaire enjoy their honeymoon and start their lives together. Search for John Henton and Kim photos and over 100 million other current images and stock photos at IMAGO. We were what is right now called working poordumpster diving, all thatamidst the first 11 years of my life in a hotel called Starlight [Pines], off Route 66. It featured six African-American comedians and the story centered around four single ladies living in New York City. [Laughs.] Lee Bowsers stellar cast inspired both the shows storylines and its setting. I had a totally different person in my head, I had a totally different visual in my head, because I didnt really know that Erika was that funny, even though she had done The Cosby Show. Yvette Lee Bowser -- who has been involved with severaliconic Black series, includingA Different World,Half & HalfandDear White Peopleand the recentRun the World-- created and executive produced the series. Coles hasn't completely abandoned her stand-up roots, however, hosting AXS TV's "Gotham Comedy Live" just this past March. That we are strong, we are determined, we have tenacity, but we are vulnerable as well.. My father was an itinerant preacher, my mother was a teacher. Those were things that people were not really doing at the time. Living Singles impact on television and the entertainment industry writ large extends far beyond the lessons it imparted during its run. Now we have words! Kyle excelled as a stockbroker, but the only arena in which he thought himself superior to the handyman Overton was with the ladies. Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Living Single. Carson is what most people will never experience, hes my comedic partner. Shes sharp, shes clean. The show received stellar ratings and TV Guide selected Henton's character as one . To know that I had a hand in giving my people something that was positive and that represented them in the best possible light really makes me feel good, and thats what I wanted to do. Thats my recurring theme. WorldWide Entertainment TV is former Tupac Shakur Center For The Arts Media Outlet in Atlanta. Im from Arizona, so I came in looking like I just hitchhiked there. We just had fun. And they told me that their mothers spelled it the way mine was: S-y-n-c-l-a-i-r-e. And that is just phenomenal to me. She played a detective who does not believe Rod Williams (Lil Red Howery) story about Chris Washingtons (Daniel Kaluuya) disappearance in Get Out, and has landed recurring roles on Insecure (an award-nominated HBO original comedy created by and starring Issa Rae) and The CWs Arrowverse-canon drama, Black Lightning, as a telepathic therapist for meta-humans. This was the 90s and so this is when the idea of rappers taking jobs was really in, so I saw a recognizable face and Im like, Oh man, Im going to lose this job to this rapper. Most recently, she has shifted focus to a career as a life coach and motivational speaker, primarily for entrepreneurs and people within the business world. Lee Bowser was strategic about crafting characters and conflicts that represented the vastness within the experiences of young black people. I started work at [the age of] five, knocking on peoples doors, asking to take out trash, sweep the porch. That was me and T.C. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. So they left it alone and then they decided to kind of address it with an episode because when I started to really push the more Africanness of who he was, they thought it would be a great idea to use it in one of the episodes, and to show that you dont have to sell out. John Henton on January 6, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images. With Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, Terrence 'T.C.' Carson, John Henton. And I was like, Well, why? Fields: That chemistry is beyond real. So we had a lot of storylines about Cleveland, about the Browns, Ohio State, you know, things that were happening in the city. Copyright 2023 Interactive One, LLC. Queen and the whole cast had been doing the show, obviously, for a while and had more on-camera experience than I did, so what was really great is that from the very beginning, I felt like they welcomed me in and made me feel like a part [of the family]. Shes sexy, shes a boss. Thankfully, the extensive plastic surgery has restored most of his facial features and structure. Its just one of those things that even Raven-Symon as a child had, but Kim Fields had it and she was our Shirley Temple in that way. Created by Byron Allen's Allen Media Group,theGrio Awardscelebrate excellence in film, music, comedy, television, sports, philanthropy, business, fashion, social justice, environmental justice, education and the cultural icons and innovators, whose many contributions positively impact America. He appeared on the CW's Hart of Dixie and CBS' Code Black before landing the plum gig as the lead of Black Lightning, the CW action series on which he starred as the show's titular hero persona from 2018 to 2021. Our New York, our Brooklyn, was as diverse as it is in reality. Living Single didnt stumble upon a diverse depiction of Brooklyn life by assembling a black cast and hoping for the best. They really cared about each other and they cared about the work, and sometimes they cared about both a little too much, in that sometimes they would take something that would happen to the character very personally, Lee Bowser said. I really did not know what a tremendous actor she was, both comedically and dramatically. Fields: [T.C.s hair episode was] very organic. Not only was she known for her long-running role on "The Facts of Life," but Fields was also a supporting cast member on both "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Good Times." I remember one day saying to her, I wanna be a queen, and she was like, You ARE one. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Queen Latifah has many projects in progress in both the acting and producing departments (such as the upcoming film adaptation of Kate DiCamillos book The Tiger Rising). If you've been waiting for updates on a possible reunion of theLiving Singlecast, get in line! The show traced the contours of black love in all its forms: platonic, romantic, sexual. And I was like, Oh okay, awesome! We were basically pushing the culture by just being raw and honest. I just dont know that its gonna happen. Lee Bowser was more direct: There is no reboot without Khadijah and Max. Through a representative, Queen Latifah declined to comment, but Alexander expressed measured misgivings.
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