How does an actor stay fresh in a role that he’s been playing for more than 30 years?
It probably helps when the show’s target audience refreshes itself every few years. That’s the case with Sesame Street, and one of the few grownup characters who have stayed with the show for most of its run, Gordon, played by Roscoe Orman.
This profile of Orman reveals a few interesting facts: He was actually the third actor to play the role, and didn’t think he’d stick around for long. Previous to taking the Sesame Street gig, he was best known for playing a pimp in the blaxploitation film “Willie Dynamite.” And Gordon and Susan (who we don’t see much anymore, because the actress who plays her has a PhD and is a noted educational expert) have the longest African-American marriage on TV.
This isn’t mentioned in the article, but many years ago when the show followed Gordon and Susan adopting their son, Miles, he was played by (and named after) Orman’s real-life son. Orman’s the father of four and grandfather of five.
I don’t know about you, but I was awfully excited when I started watching the show with my daughter and discovered that many of the grownups I’d known and loved as a little kid were still there. The show has become much more Muppet-centric (yes it IS a word) and focuses less on the human characters, but I love that the adults are still there showing kids the way grownups should treat them – with respect, kindness and caring.
One person quoted in the article says the strong, kind, warm persona of Gordon may have primed the pump for the ascendancy of Barack Obama, because it gave us such a positive image of black men. Interesting – and probably true.
