Roscoe Lee Browne Net Worth
Roscoe Lee Browne was born in Woodbury, New Jersey. After running track and serving with the U.S. Army during World War II, Browne earned a bachelor’s degree at Lincoln University before studying Middlebury College, Columbia University and Florence University – earning both degrees there as well.
He started off his acting career in small Broadway roles before quickly making the leap to film and television roles, such as a Haitian gossip columnist in Peter Glenville’s Black Like Me and an arrogant congressman in Sidney Poitier’s Uptown Saturday Night.
Early Life and Education
Roscoe Lee Browne was born in Woodbury, New Jersey. He graduated from Woodbury Junior-Senior High School before enrolling at Lincoln University – an historically black college in Pennsylvania – to earn a Bachelor’s degree. Additionally, Roscoe competed as a professional track sprinter internationally and won several national titles.
Browne was an accomplished track sprinter but decided to switch careers when he won a role as Soothsayer in Julius Caesar at New York Shakespeare Festival Theater. Since then he has appeared onstage for productions like Taming of the Shrew, Troilus and Cressida and King Lear.
Browne made his film debut in 1964 in Shirley Clarke’s award-winning drama Black Like Me and quickly began appearing regularly in films thereafter. He was nominated for an Obie Award and later won Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards for roles he portrayed in Robert Lowell plays The Old Glory and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, earning further nominations and wins from Obie voters.
Professional Career
Roscoe Lee Browne was an award-winning stage and film actor renowned for his silky baritone voice that could be found on countless audio recordings, television programs and movies. Additionally, he was recognized for being an accomplished poet and author.
Browne was born in Woodbury, New Jersey on May 2, 1925 to Baptist minister Sylvanus Browne and Lovie Lee Usher and attended Lincoln University of Pennsylvania – earning both her undergraduate degree in French literature as well as her Master’s.
He turned to acting in 1956 and made his first performance debut with Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival as Soothsayer Julius Caesar.
He appeared in numerous films and television shows, often as a guest star on popular comedy shows like All in the Family. Additionally, he featured prominently in plays by Derek Walcott and August Wilson.
Achievement and Honors
Browne was well-known for his rich, soothing baritone voice. He was known to narrate many books, documentaries, and animated films with this voice. Browne was born in Woodbury, New Jersey and attended Pennsylvania’s Historically Black Lincoln University; there he ran track and earned a degree in comparative literature and French before transitioning into acting.
Joseph Papp invited him to make his stage debut at his New York Shakespeare Festival Theater and went on to star in plays by Lowell, Shaw and Albee among many others. Additionally, his performances of August Wilson’s works received widespread acclaim from critics.
He made numerous television guest appearances, such as in one episode of All in the Family and his recurring role as Dr. Barnabus Foster on A Different World and Soap; for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1986.
Personal Life
Browne found success after winning several international track competitions. With this admiration and admiration came admiration and admiration as well, which led to his making the leap into acting without formal training – auditioning boldly at New York City’s first Shakespeare Festival Theater and landing a role in Julius Caesar!
In the 1960s, his stage success attracted producer Leland Hayward’s notice and led to him joining Hayward’s satirical NBC-TV series That Was the Week That Was as an ongoing cast member.
Browne was known for his versatile and soothing baritone voice that graced many film, TV, radio roles as well as commercials and recordings spanning film, radio, TV and recordings spanning film, television and radio, commercials and recordings he performed for various companies as well as films he wrote and directed in 1966 with A Hand Is on the Gate featuring Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones and Moses Gunn as part of his stage direction debut production.
Personal Life
Browne first gained international fame at a young age as an accomplished middle distance runner, winning two amateur athletic union 1,000-yard national indoor championships. From there he went on to work as a sales representative for Schenley Import Corporation before transitioning into acting full time.
His theater work included both classics and contemporary drama, with roles in plays by Shakespeare, O’Neill, Shaw, Genet, Brecht Giraudoux Lowell Sartre & August Wilson among others. Additionally he provided narration for several documentaries and films as well as making regular television guest appearances as an expert guest commentator.
He appeared in numerous series such as Mannix, All in the Family, Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Cosby Show, A Different World as well as Soap as Saunders (an erudite butler). From 1979-1981 he also co-starred on Soap alongside fellow actor Gene Wilder.
