Roscoe Lee Browne

 Roscoe Lee Browne (May 2, 1922– April 11, 2007)

He was an actor and director known for his rich voice and dignified bearing. He resisted playing stereotypically black roles, instead performing in several productions with New York City's Shakespeare Festival Theater, Leland Hayward’s satirical NBC series That Was the Week That Was, and a poetry performance tour of the United States in addition to his work in television and film. In 1976, Browne was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Series for his work on ABC's Barney Miller. He was also a regular on Soap, playing the butler Saunders from 1979 until 1981. In 1986, he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series for his work on NBC's The Cosby Show. In 1992, he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as "Holloway" in August Wilson's Two Trains Running. In 1995, he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program for his performance as "The Kingpin" in Spider-Man. Browne's directorial credits include a piece called An Evening of Negro Poetry and Folk Music at the Delacorte Theatre and the Public Theatre in New York City in 1966. It was also produced as A Hand Is on the Gate at the Longacre Theatre in New York City in 1966. The production was also revived at the Afro-American Studio in New York City from 1976 to 1977. Browne died of stomach cancer in Los Angeles on April 11, 2007, aged 84. He never married and had no children.