# Edmund Cambridge

Edmund James Cambridge Jr. (September 18, 1920 – August 18, 2001) was an American actor and director who was a founding member of the Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) and the Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theater Arts School.

## Biography

Cambridge was born on September 18, 1920 in Harlem, New York.
At age 15, Cambridge began his professional career at Swan's Paradise in Harlem as a chorus boy. This assignment ended when his mother discovered that he was sneaking out of bed to do the job. Edmund was the President of the Original Cambridge Players, who took a Los Angeles premiere of The Amen Corner to Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in April 1965. Founding member Juanita Moore was friends with Marlon Brando and James Baldwin. It was Moore who asked Brando to lend funds ($75) for Baldwin to write The Amen Corner.
In 1968, Cambridge joined Robert Hooks, Douglas Turner Ward and several other actors to start the Negro Ensemble Company. He staged Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, as one of the company's first productions. This Lonne Elder III play went on to win many awards, including a Drama Desk Award for the author. Other productions Cambridge directed at NEC include Steve Carter's critically acclaimed drama, Eden.
Cambridge was a longtime resident of Los Angeles. He died as a result of injuries sustained from a fall on August 18, 2001, in New York, New York.

## Selected credits
### Acting

Theatre roles :
| Year | Production | Role | Theatre(s) |
| 1978 | One Crack Out | Earl | Marymount Manhattan Theatre |
| 1951 | The Taming of the Shrew | Servant/ Officer | City Center |
| 1947 | Our Lan' | Chester | Royale Theatre |
Television / Film roles :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1970 | Bracken's World | Benjamin Bishop | Episode: Will Freddy's Real Father Please Stand Up?"" |
| 1971 | The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (TV series) | Charles Mobley | Episode: "Hall of Justice" |
| 1972 | Evil Roy Slade | Smith | TV movie |
| 1972 | Love, American Style | Mr. Dickerson (segment "Love and Happy Days") | Episode: "Love and the Happy Days/Love and the Newscasters" |
| 1972 | Cool Breeze | The Bus Driver | credited as Edmund Cambridge |
| 1972 | Emergency! | Paul | Episode: "Crash" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1972 | The Final Comedown | Dr. Smalls | credited as Edmund Cambridge |
| 1972 | Melinda | Detective | credited as Edmund Cambridge |
| 1972 | The Sandy Duncan Show | George | Episode: "The Importance of Being Ernestine" |
| 1972 | Trouble Man | Sam | film role |
| 1972 | The Limit | Police captain | film role |
| 1972 | Hit Man | Theatis Oliver | film role |
| 1974 | Good Times | Leroy Jackson | Episode: "Junior Gets a Patron" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1974 | Kojak | Waverly | Episode: "Loser Takes All" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1974 | Adam-12 | Don Hendricks | Episode: "Christmas" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1975 | Sanford and Son | Mr. Cambridge | Episode: "Strange Bedfellows" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1975 | Mannix | Scrapiron | Episode: "Edge of the Web" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1975 | Starsky and Hutch | Roy Jones | Episode: "Kill Huggy Bear" |
| 1975 | Friday Foster | Jake Wayne | film role |
| 1974-1976 | Harry O | Joseph "Hotwire" Jackson / Benjy | 2 episodes, (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1976 | The Jeffersons | Curt Randall | Episode: "Tom the Hero" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man Book II | Funeral director | Episode: "Chapter XII" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1977 | Serpico | Lucius | Episode: "One Long Tomorrow" (as Edmund Cambridge) |
| 1980 | The Further Adventures of Wally Brown | Stockley Brown | TV movie |
| 1985 | The Atlanta Child Murders | Mr. Cobb | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | The Spirit | small role | TV movie, Uncredited |
| 1989 | Tour of Duty | Preacher | Episode: "Promised Land" |
| 1990 | True Colors | | Episode: "Young at Heart" |
| 1991 | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey | George Washington Carver | feature film role |
| 1992 | Deep Cover | Crackhead #2 | feature film role |
| 1992 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Lou | Episode: "Mommy Nearest" (as Ed Cambridge Jr.) |
| 1993 | The Gifted | minor role | feature film |
| 1994 | One Woman's Courage | Commander | TV movie |
| 1994 | ER | Victor | Episode: "Day One" |
| 1994 | Jack Reed: A Search for Justice | Minister | TV movie |
| 1994 | Inferno on US 17 | Andrew | TV movie |
| 1996 | Soul of the Game | Bellhop | TV movie |
| 1996 | Living Single | Carriage Driver | Episode: "The Engagement: Part 1" |
| 1997 | The Beautician and the Beast | Elderly Man | film role |
| 1997 | The Good News | Associate Pastor Blake | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1997 | Sister, Sister | Mr. Knox | Episode: "It's My Party" |
| 1998 | Veronica's Closet | Elderly Man #3 | Episode: "Veronica's Mole" |
| 2000 | Waking the Dead | Old Man from Letter | film role |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Bertram | Episode: "Unhand Me" |
| 2001 | The Bernie Mac Show | Grandfather at Airport | Episode: "Pilot", (final appearance) |

### Directing

Country Cousins (1988) — Far from the Tree (1987)
| Year | Production | Theatre(s) | Notes |
| 1981 | Nevis Mountain Dew | Los Angeles Actors Theatre | |
| 1980 | Eden | Los Angeles Actors Theatre | Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award |
| 1976 | Eden | St. Mark's Playhouse | |
| 1971 | Behold! Cometh the Vanderkellans | Theatre de Lys | |
| 1969 | Ceremonies in Dark Old Men | St. Mark's Playhouse | |

## Awards and nominations
### Awards

* 1980 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award – Direction, Eden