Full Text of HR0511 103rd General Assembly
HR0511 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY | | | HR0511 | | LRB103 35299 LAW 65339 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION | 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of actor | 4 | | Richard Arnold Roundtree, who passed away on October 24, 2023; | 5 | | and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Richard Roundtree was born to Kathryn (Watkins) | 7 | | and John Roundtree in New Rochelle, New York on July 9, 1942; | 8 | | he graduated from New Rochelle High School, where he played on | 9 | | its nationally ranked football team; he attended Southern | 10 | | Illinois University Carbondale (SIU) on a football scholarship | 11 | | from 1961 to 1963; he married Mary Jane Grant in 1963, and they | 12 | | had two children before divorcing in 1973; he later married | 13 | | Karen M. Cierna in 1980, and they had three children before | 14 | | divorcing in 1998; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Richard Roundtree left SIU after signing as a | 16 | | model for the Ebony Fashion Fair, touring 79 cities in 90 days; | 17 | | following this opportunity, he returned to New York to pursue | 18 | | acting, joining the Negro Ensemble Company in 1967; he | 19 | | appeared in several Off-Broadway shows, including as | 20 | | heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson in a production of | 21 | | The Great White Hope; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Richard Roundtree was best known for playing |
| | | HR0511 | - 2 - | LRB103 35299 LAW 65339 r |
|
| 1 | | private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film Shaft, a role | 2 | | that many consider the first African American action hero; he | 3 | | returned to play the character in two sequels, which premiered | 4 | | in 1972 and 1973 respectively, and the similarly named TV | 5 | | series from 1973 to 1974; he later returned to the movie | 6 | | franchise for the 2019 remake, which featured Samuel L. | 7 | | Jackson taking on the titular role; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, In addition to the Shaft franchise, Richard | 9 | | Roundtree earned more than 100 credits across film and | 10 | | television projects; he appeared in dozens of films, including | 11 | | the 1974 disaster drama Earthquake, starring Charlton Heston, | 12 | | Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, and Lorne Greene, and the 1984 | 13 | | buddy-crime-comedy City Heat, working alongside Clint Eastwood | 14 | | and Burt Reynolds; he made appearances in dozens of television | 15 | | shows, including the miniseries Roots, The Love Boat, Magnum | 16 | | P.I., Amen, A Different World, MacGyver, Beverly Hills 90210, | 17 | | L.A. Law, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Touched by an Angel, | 18 | | Desperate Housewives, The Closer, Grey's Anatomy, The | 19 | | Mentalist, and Chicago Fire; more recently, he was a regular | 20 | | cast member in BET's critically acclaimed series Being Mary | 21 | | Jane from 2013 to 2019; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, Richard Roundtree became a staunch advocate and | 23 | | vocal proponent of male breast cancer awareness after being | 24 | | diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, having to undergo a |
| | | HR0511 | - 3 - | LRB103 35299 LAW 65339 r |
|
| 1 | | radical mastectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy to beat | 2 | | the disease; he participated in countless benefits to help | 3 | | fight cancer and was the recipient of the prestigious Jackie | 4 | | Robinson Foundation Award for Excellence for his work in | 5 | | cancer awareness; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Richard Roundtree received several nominations | 7 | | and awards for his acting, including a 1972 Golden Globe Award | 8 | | nomination for Most Promising Newcomer in the male category | 9 | | for his role in the movie Shaft, a Lifetime Achievement Award | 10 | | from MTV in 1994, and the Legacy Award from the | 11 | | African-American Film Critics Association in 2011; he received | 12 | | an honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts from SIU in 2018; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Richard Roundtree will be remembered for his | 14 | | impact on film, pop culture, and cancer awareness; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Richard Roundtree is survived by his daughters, | 16 | | Kelli, Nicole, Tayler, and Morgan, and his son, John; | 17 | | therefore, be it | 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 19 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 20 | | we mourn the passing of Richard Arnold Roundtree and extend | 21 | | our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who | 22 | | knew and loved him; and be it further |
| | | HR0511 | - 4 - | LRB103 35299 LAW 65339 r |
|
| 1 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the family of Richard Roundtree as an expression | 3 | | of our deepest sympathy. |
|