Roscoe Orman
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| Roscoe Orman | |
 Roscoe Orman at the 2007 Texas Book Festival |
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| Born | June 11, 1944 The Bronx, New York |
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Roscoe Orman (born June 11, 1944, in The Bronx, New York) is an American actor who plays Gordon Robinson on the television program Sesame Street. Orman joined the show in 1973, taking over as the third actor to play Gordon on the show (subsequent to Matt Robinson, 1969-1972, and Hal Miller, 1972-1973). Beyond his role on Sesame Street, Orman is an accomplished stage, film and television actor, children’s book writer, artist, and child advocate.
Orman made his theatrical debut as a teenager in the 1962 topical revue "If We Grow Up". He was an early member of the Free Southern Theater for two years in the mid-sixties and a founding member of Harlem, New York's New Lafayette Theatre, where he acted in and directed numerous plays. His many other stage appearances have included roles in "Julius Caesar" and "Coriolanus" at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre, the Broadway production of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winning play "Fences", and Matt Robison's one-man play "The Confessions of Stepin Fetchit" at the American Place Theatre, to name a few.
Orman made his feature film debut in the title role of Universal Studios 1973 drama, Willie Dynamite, and has also appeared in such films as F/X, Striking Distance, New Jersey Drive, Follow That Bird, Twilight's Last Gleaming, and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland. His television credits include work on such shows as All My Children, Kojak, Sanford and Son, Cosby, Sex and the City, The Wire, and Law & Order.
In June 2006, Orman's memoir Sesame Street Dad: Evolution of An Actor was released. In September 2007, his children's book Ricky and Mobo was released.
On October 8, 2008, Orman became the Chief Storyteller of AudibleKids.com (a service of Audible.com), a website for parents, teachers, and children to connect with one another and download and listen to audiobooks on iPods, MP3 players, and computers.
Orman’s new role was announced at a community event at The Educational Alliance Boys & Girls Club in New York City, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office commended Orman’s life work and willingness to embrace new technology to help encourage children to read books, by naming October 8, 2008 AudibleKids Day in New York City.
In his role as Chief Storyteller, Orman narrates audiobooks and communicates with children, parents and teachers online and at community, literacy and library events, lectures and conferences, and via other media to encourage the use of audiobooks to help build an interest in reading and develop literacy skills.
Orman commented on his then new role on October 8, 2008: “When Sesame Street began, television was a new and even controversial medium. But we showed how that technology, if used correctly, could become a powerful learning tool…I see the same kind of opportunity emerging today as parents and educators increasingly view iPods with skepticism. With AudibleKids.com, I believe we can help turn these players into magnificent storytellers, tools for learning, and a way to promote a lifelong love of stories and language.”
Orman and his wife and 14-year-old daughter Cheyenne are residents of Montclair, New Jersey. His son, Miles Orman was on Sesame Street playing Gordon's son Miles Robinson from the mid-1980's into the early 1990's. Miles is a 2007 graduate of Marist College.
[edit] External links
- Interview from Wisconsin Public Television with Roscoe Orman -- the actor talks about his career and experiences playing Gordon Robinson on Sesame Street.
- Roscoe Orman at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview 'Sesame Street' star is an accidental role model - Associated Press
- Official Website - RoscoeOrman.com
