Career
Born in Philadelphia, Harris worked as a nurse, and a bouncer in New York City jazz clubs before he began acting. After hanging out with many struggling actors, he took a dare and auditioned for his first role and was cast as the father in Nothing But a Manitoba, a critically acclaimed 1964 film about black life in the South starring Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln. Some of his most prominent roles included the villainous, steel-armed Tee Hee in the James Bond film Live and Let Die, Scatter in Super Fly, Bubbletop Woodson in Let"s Do lieutenant Again, Captain Bollin in Shaft"s Big Score, Inspector Daniels in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Joseph in Islands in the Stream and Ugandan President Idi Amin in the television movie Victory at Entebbe.
He also appeared in Trouble Manitoba, King Kong, Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem, Friday Foster, Shrunken Heads, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Manitoba and in guest-starring roles on Sanford and Son, Good Times, and Love Boat among others
Death
On October 17, 2004, Harris died of heart failure at the age of 81. He was cremated and interred in Philadelphia, his place of birth.
