Lou Myers (actor)

Lou Myers
Born
Lewis Eddy Myers

(1935-09-26)September 26, 1935
DiedFebruary 19, 2013(2013-02-19) (aged 77)
OccupationActor
Known forRole as Vernon Gaines on the NBC-TV series A Different World
Children1

Lou Myers (September 26, 1935 – February 19, 2013),[1] known alternately as Lou Leabengula Myers,[2] was an American actor.

Myers was born in Chesapeake, West Virginia, the son of Dorothy Louise Brown Myers and Otis Louis Myers, a coal miner who spoke fluent German. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951. He was discharged in 1953 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in sociology from West Virginia State University and an MFA in theatre from NYU.[3][4]

Myers was typically typecast as a grumpy old man, but he appeared in many movies, plays, and television programs. He made his Broadway debut in 1975 as Reverend Mosely in the production The First Breeze of Summer, alongside Ethel Ayler, Moses Gunn, Bebe Drake, and Barbara Montgomery.[5] He joined them in recreating their roles for a television adaptation that aired on Great Performances in 1976.[6]

Myers was an original cast member of many August Wilson plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, and The Piano Lesson.

He is perhaps best known as the feisty Mr. Vernon Gaines in the sitcom A Different World. Myers was also an accomplished pianist and founder/director of the Tshaka Ensemble Players in Africa.[7]

Myers died at the Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia after battling pneumonia for several months.[8]

  1. ^ "Lou Myers Dead – Mr. Vernon Gaines From 'A Different World' Dies at 77". TMZ.com. February 20, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  2. ^ "The First Breeze of Summer". Playbill. p. 19. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "West Virginia State University - MEMORIAL SERVICE AND LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT CEREMONY - Louis Eddy 'Lou' Myers" (PDF).
  4. ^ Encyclopedia.com - Lou Myers
  5. ^ Playbill - The First Breeze of Summer
  6. ^ IMDB - The First Breeze of Summer
  7. ^ "West Virginia State University - Lou Myers".
  8. ^ "Lou Myers, A Different World Actor, Dies". People Magazine. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.

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