Howard E. Rollins, Jr.

Rollins gained critical acclaim for his role as a young black man in search of justice in the film Ragtime (1981), a performance that earned an Oscar nomination. Well known for playing a detective in the TV series In the Heat of the Night (1987–92), Rollins also appeared in soap operas and TV movies such as For Us, the Living: The Medgar Evers Story (1983). His stage appearances include a Canadian production of Othello and a London production of I'm Not Rappaport.