Cleavon Little

ABOUT Cleavon Little

Best known for his starring role as Bart in Mel Brooks's 1974 film classic, Blazing Saddles, Cleavon Little first made a name for himself on Broadway in the late 1960s, playing Lee Haines in Jimmy Shine, a 1968 play by Murray Schisgal with songs by John Sebastian, lead man of the group, The Lovin' Spoonful.

In 1970, Cleavon Little had his first starring role in Purlie, a musical by Gary Geld and Peter Udell based on a novel by the actor Ossie Davies. Little won both the Tony^® for Best Actor in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award for his performance in the title role.

Though he became more involved with television and films in the 1970s, Little returned to Broadway to perform in a variety of stage plays, including The Poison Tree and I'm Not Rappaport.