Roscoe Orman



Roscoe Orman (b. 1944) has played Gordon on Sesame Street since 1973, becoming the third actor to play the role. He has also supplied the voice of Hard Head Henry Harris and other characters, including the hand in "Elmo's World: Hands," and the closing sponsorship voice-overs. The actor began his career on the stage New York City, making his acting debut at the age of 18. Subsequent work included stints with the New York Shakespeare Festival and the New Federal Theater. Orman's film debut came in the blaxploitation film Willie Dynamite, playing the title role, a heroic pimp. Orman shaved his head for the part, and his now bald pate would become a trademark over the next several years.

Shortly after the completion of that film, Orman was informed by Sesame Street director Stan Lathan of auditions for the role of Gordon. Orman was one of three finalists, alongside David Downing and Robert Guillaume. Orman recalled that during his audition scene with Oscar the Grouch, he kept looking at Caroll Spinney instead of the puppet. However, Orman had good chemistry with the preschool kids, improvising the concepts of up and down.

In 1976, during a hiatus from Sesame Street, Orman played the villainous pimp Tyrone on the soap opera All My Children When the guest spot became a recurring role, the actor was forced to choose, and abandoned the role. Later non-Sesame Street roles were more positive, including a police lieautenant in an episode of Kojak, Captain Wallenger in the 1986 film F/X, and another captain in the pilot episode of the Touchstone Television series Hard Time on Planet Earth.

Orman has also portrayed the controversial early black comedian Stepin Fetchit in a biographical one-man stage play, created by fellow "Gordon" actor Matt Robinson. His most recent attempts at moonlighting from Sesame Street have included guest spots on Cosby, Law And Order, and Sex In The City. Orman has also done extensive voice-over work, including narration for the History Channel and commercials for Chevrolet and Kraft Cheese.