Bill Nunn

William Goldwyn Nunn III (October 20, 1953 – September 24, 2016) was an American actor known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's film Do the Right Thing and Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man film trilogy.

For other people named Bill Nunn, see Bill Nunn (disambiguation).
Bill Nunn
Born
William Goldwyn Nunn III

(1953-10-20)October 20, 1953
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedSeptember 24, 2016(2016-09-24) (aged 62)
Hill District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1976–2016
Spouse(s)Donna Nunn
Children2

Early life

Bill Nunn III was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Frances Nunn and William G. Nunn, Jr., a journalist and editor at the Pittsburgh Courier and a National Football League scout.[1][2] His paternal grandfather was the first African American football player at George Westinghouse High School.[3] While ball boys for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bill Nunn and current Steelers President Art Rooney II stole "Mean" Joe Greene's car during training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.[4] "Joe Greene showed up in a beautiful green Lincoln Continental, and me and Bill Nunn, Jr. were ball boys. Somehow Bill got the keys one night and we decided to take it for a ride. We only told Joe that story about 10 years ago. We figured that enough time had passed that we could disclose our little joy ride."[4]

Nunn was a 1970 graduate of Schenley High School and a 1976 graduate of Morehouse College.[5] He attended college with Spike Lee and appeared in several of Lee's early feature films.[1]

Career

Nunn made his credited film debut in the 1988 Spike Lee film School Daze,[6] and is best known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Lee's Do the Right Thing,[7] and as Nino Brown's bodyguard Duh Duh Duh Man in New Jack City.[8] Some of his other film credits include Lee's Mo' Better Blues and He Got Game, as well as Regarding Henry, Sister Act, Canadian Bacon, The Last Seduction, Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead, Runaway Jury, Spider-Man trilogy (as Joseph "Robbie" Robertson), Firehouse Dog, the television series The Job, Randy and The Mob, and the 2016 televised adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun.[9]

Nunn also performed on stage, including August Wilson's Fences, a Pittsburgh-based play; Nunn performed alongside Anthony Mackie, who played Nunn's character's son.[1] Nunn was also very involved in community outreach, and he formed his own Pittsburgh-area outreach project in 2008.[1]

Death

Nunn died on September 24, 2016 in his home[10] in Pittsburgh's Hill District; he was 62 years old.[11] His widow, Donna, confirmed that he had leukemia.[10][1]

Filmography
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References
  1. Goldstein, Andrew; Lord, Rich; Eberson, Sharon (September 25, 2016). "Actor Bill Nunn dies". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  2. Varley, Teresa (February 27, 2007). "Long-time scout Bill Nunn is a man who made a difference". steelers.com. Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on March 5, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  3. Finder, Chuck (2006-07-24). "Q&A". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  4. Prisuta, Mike (2015-07-26). "2015 Training Camp is underway". Archived from the original on 2016-02-24.
  5. "Morehouse Celebrates 143 Years". Morehouse College. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  6. Penrice, Ronda Racha (13 February 2018). "Spike Lee to appear at 30th anniversary 'School Daze' screening at Fox". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Media Group. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  7. Laws, Zach; Beachum, Chris (10 August 2018). "Spike Lee movies: 15 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include 'Do the Right Thing,' 'Malcolm X,' 'BlacKkKlansman'". Gold Derby. Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  8. "'Do the Right Thing,' 'New Jack City' actor Bill Nunn dies at 62". Al.com. Advance Local Media LLC. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  9. Mcshane, Larry. "Bill Nunn, Radio Raheem in 'Do the Right Thing,' dies at 63". Daily News. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  10. Gajanan, Mahita (September 25, 2016). "Celebrities Mourn the Death of Do the Right Thing Actor Bill Nunn". Time. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  11. Stack, Liam (September 24, 2016). "Bill Nunn, Who Played Radio Raheem in 'Do the Right Thing,' Dies at 63". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2016. Nunn was 62 years, 11 months old, so the headline is incorrect.
  12. Out There on IMDb
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