Veteran character actor Lee Weaver, known for his roles in The Bill Cosby Show and the Coen brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou?, has died.
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Weaver passed away on Sept. 22 at his Los Angeles home, according to his online obituary. He was 95. The cause of death was not disclosed.
On television, Weaver was best known for portraying Brian Kincaid, the brother of Bill Cosby’s gym teacher, Chet Kincaid, on The Bill Cosby Show (1969–71). He also played Buck Naked on Hill Street Blues (1982–84) and NYPD Blue (1994).
Some TV fans may also remember Weaver from the 1986-87 NBC comedy Easy Street. In the show, Weaver and Jack Elam played two down-on-their-luck roommates who move into a mansion inherited by a former Las Vegas showgirl, played by Loni Anderson. Created by WKRP in Cincinnati’s Hugh Wilson, the series was canceled after one season.
Meanwhile, in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Weaver memorably portrayed the blind man who gave three escaped convicts (George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson) a ride on a railroad handcar and shared mysterious advice about their future.
According to IMDb, the character actor also appeared in several other notable films throughout his impressive career, including Vanishing Point (1971), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Bulworth (1998), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Donnie Darko (2001), and The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005).
Lee Weaver’s TV Work Dates Back to the 1950s
Lee Wellington Weaver was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 10, 1930. He was raised by his aunt and uncle until age 14, when he left home for high school in Tallahassee and later attended Florida A&M.
Weaver joined the U.S. Army at 22 and served for 4 years. He then moved to New York, working as a linotype engineer for The New York Times and moonlighting as a promoter at the legendary Birdland jazz club, booking acts like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Thelonious Monk.
Early in his career, Weaver appeared as various natives in the 1955-56 syndicated series Sheena: Queen of the Jungle and as a reporter in Al Capone (1959).
Weaver Collaborated with Bill Cosby on Multiple TV Projects
He also appeared on episodes of the Cosby-starring NBC series I Spy in 1967 and ’68. And in a recurring bit on The Tonight Show when Cosby guest-hosted, Weaver would be announced as a guest but, much to his televised chagrin, would never actually make it on air because Cosby would run out of time.
Weaver later appeared on The Cosby Show and A Different World, both created by Cosby.
Weaver stayed active in the late 1960s and 1970s, appearing in TV series such as Love, American Style, Adam-12, Kojak, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Soap, and Starsky & Hutch. He also appeared in films like Cleopatra Jones (1973) and House Calls (1978).
He also voiced Alpine in the 1985-86 animated series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and two related films.
His other film credits included The Lost Man (1969), Kiss Me Goodbye (1982), The Buddy System (1984), Wildcats (1986), The Two Jakes (1990), The Scout (1994), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), and Max Rose (2013). He also made guest appearances on 227, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. His most recent role was Mel Cordray in two episodes of Grace and Frankie.
He and his wife, actress Ta-Tanisha (Room 222), had a daughter named Leis La-Te.