John Witherspoon (actor)

John Witherspoon (born January 27, 1942, died October 29, 2019) was an American comedy actor known for his roles in, Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Boomerang (1992), Murder Was The Case (1994), Friday (1995), Vampire In Brooklyn (1995) and the 1990s WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. and as Robert Freeman in The Boondocks.

Biography
Witherspoon was born in Detroit, Michigan. He combined a career as a stand-up comic with appearances on television and films.

Most of his roles in movies have been as humorously cantankerous characters as seen in Boomerang where he is nationally known for him uttering the phrase, "Bang!, Bang!, Bang!", House Party, Vampire In Brooklyn and the Friday series. More roles include Robert Jebediah "Granddad" Freeman in the animated television show The Boondocks.

Witherspoon, along with the likes of Paul Mooney, Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard, and Tim Reid appeared on the groundbreaking and controversial NBC sketch comedy series The Richard Pryor Show, which was the brainchild of Richard Pryor. He was a regular on the sitcom The Wayans Bros.. He also appeared in Good Times, What's Happening!!, and Martin.

Witherspoon's longtime friend David Letterman is the godfather to his son, John David. His brother, William Weatherspoon, wrote the Motown hit "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted". Witherspoon is a cousin of Lamont Dozier.

Career
Witherspoon appeared in Jay-Z's video for "I Just Wanna Luv U (Give It 2 Me)" and in Field Mob's music video for "Sick of Being Lonely". He can be seen in Hitman Sammy Sam's video "Step Daddy" as Stepdaddy #1. He also appeared in LL Cool J's video "Ain't Nobody".

Witherspoon was interviewed on Space Ghost Coast to Coast but the interview never aired, although the interview is quickly glimpsed on Episode 60: "Lawsuit", when Space Ghost is looking for a lawyer. Witherspoon's first hour-long stand-up special, You Got To Coordinate, premiered on the Showtime Network (USA) on March 28, 2008. It is available on DVD through Image Entertainment

Witherspoon was a spokesman for Eastern Motors, a Washington, DC-based used car dealership.

Personal life and death
Witherspoon married Angela Robinson in 1988. They have two sons, John David ("J.D.") and Alexander. J.D. is known for making skits and gameplay videos on YouTube, and hosted the mobile game show Confetti on Facebook Watch. David Letterman was Witherspoon's best friend and is the godfather to his two sons.

Witherspoon died of a heart attack at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, on October 29, 2019. He was 77 years old. His funeral was held on November 5, 2019, and he was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California.

Television

 * The Richard Pryor Show (1977)
 * The Incredible Hulk (1978)
 * What's Happening (1978)
 * Good Times (1978)
 * Barnaby Jones (1979)
 * WKRP in Cincinnati (1982)
 * Hill Street Blues (1982)
 * You Again (1986)
 * 227 (1987)
 * What's Happening Now (1987)
 * Frank's Place (1987)
 * Amen (1988)
 * L.A. Law (1990)
 * Martin (1993)
 * The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1993)
 * Waynehead (1996-1997)
 * The Wayans Bros (1995-1999)
 * Happily Ever After:Fairy Tales for Every Child (2000)
 * The Proud Family (2003)
 * The Tracy Morgan Show (2003-2004)
 * Kim Possible (2004)
 * Weekends at the DL (2005)
 * The Boondocks (2005-2014)