"Rollo" was my favorite character on Sanford and Son and I loved him in his many other roles including as "Rerun's" brother-in-law in the later episodes of "What's Happening."
Demond Wilson and Nathaniel Taylor as Lamont and Rollo on "Sanford and Son"
I have to also admit that as a closeted little black boy who saw very few black men in any roles on television in the early 1970s, I had quite a crush on him and his character "Rollo." Rollo was hip, dapper and a little shady, what was not to love...
I also had an appreciation for the gay themes that Sanford and Son occasionally explored at a time when almost no other show on television could have. Yes, we were still often the butt of the joke and mildly disparaged, but we "were there" and that was more than could be said for most of the world of television at that time.
Nathaniel who died Wednesday at age 80 is survived by his wife and seven children. He will be missed, but his timeless contributions to his craft of acting will live on to entertain generations yet to come.
Thanks for all the love and laughs...
Rest in Peace
Here are two of my favorite episodes of "Sanford and Son"
featuring Nathaniel Taylor as "Rita Lawson's boy, Rollo"
"Rated X" - Rollo talks Lamont into pursuing a career in acting, but when they respond to a classified ad seeking new talent wanting to break into the movies, they're surprised to find they've been recruited to make a gay-themed "nuddie" movie.
"Lamont, Is That You?" - Rollo and Lamont are out on the town and are unknowingly seen entering a gay bar by one of Fred's friends "Bubba." Rollo and Lamont discover their mistake, but hilarity ensues when Fred hears about it and worries that Lamont might be gay.
Interestingly, Redd Foxx subsequently made a surprisingly funny and touching film in 1976 called "Norman, Is That You?" dealing with a father who discovers that his son is actually gay.
You can find "Norman, Is That You" on YouTube
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