Scatman Crothers was born Benjamin Sherman Crothers on May 23, 1910 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Songwriter ("Dearest One"), actor, composer, singer, comedian and guitarist who, after high school, appeared in nightclubs, hotels, films and on television. He made many records, including his own compositions. He joined ASCAP in 1959, and his popular-song...
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| 1 | Posthumously inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in Oakland, California (1987). |
| 2 | The horror film The Shining (1980) was released in the theaters of the United States on his 70th birthday (May 23, 1980). |
| 3 | He was awarded the 1981 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor as Dick Hallorann in the horror film The Shining (1980). |
| 4 | Like Mark Twain (1935-1910), he was born the year Halley's Comet returned to Earth (April 20, 1910), and died the year the comet came back around again (November 22, 1986). |
| 5 | Passed away 11 days after the passing of Roger C. Carmel. Their final feature film was The Transformers: The Movie (1986), where they voiced two characters on opposing sides: Jazz, the Autobot (Crothers) and Cyclonus, the Decepticon (Carmel). |
| 6 | He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 8, 1981. |
| 7 | Had appeared with Jack Nicholson in four films: The King of Marvin Gardens (1972), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), The Fortune (1975) and The Shining (1980). |
| 8 | He and his wife Helen Crothers had one daughter: Donna Crothers (born 1949). |
| 9 | Continued to work on television after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 1985, which then spread to his esophagus. |
| 10 | Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 215-216. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. |
| 11 | Was close friends with Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson. |
| 12 | Had appeared as a guest musician on the local music program The Spade Cooley Show (1957). Cooley, a white Western swing musician, hosted the show for a local Los Angeles television station. |
| 13 | Following his death, he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in Los Angeles, California. |
| 14 | Some sources erroneously credit him as Billie Holiday's jilting lover in the 1936 Duke Ellington one-reeler, "Symphony in Black", a role actually portrayed by Earl 'Snake Hips' Tucker. The song Billie sang was "Saddest Tale". |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| The Cheap Detective | 1978 | Tinker |
| Mean Dog Blues | 1978 | Mudcat |
| Chico and the Man | 1974-1978 | TV Series | Louie Wilson
Louie |
| Scooby's Laff-A Lympics | 1977 | TV Series | Hong Kong Phooey (voice) |
| C B Bears | 1977 | TV Series | Segment title narrator |
| The Skatebirds | 1977 | TV Series | Scat Cat (voice) |
| Starsky and Hutch | 1977 | TV Series | Fireball |
| Roots | 1977 | TV Mini-Series | Mingo |
| Silver Streak | 1976 | Ralston |
| Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy | 1976 | Ben Benson (as Scat-Man Crothers) |
| The David Steinberg Show | 1976 | TV Series |
| The Shootist | 1976 | Moses |
| Stay Hungry | 1976 | William |
| Petrocelli | 1976 | TV Series | Jubilee Jones |
| Friday Foster | 1975 | Noble Franklin |
| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | 1975 | Turkle |
| Coonskin | 1975 | Pappy / Old Man Bone (voice, as Scat Man Crothers) |
| Man on the Outside | 1975 | TV Movie | Ruben Hammer |
| The Fortune | 1975 | Fisherman |
| Linda Lovelace for President | 1975 | Super Black |
| Sanford and Son | 1975 | TV Series | Bowlegs |
| Hong Kong Phooey | 1974 | TV Series | Hong Kong Phooey / Penrod 'Penry' Pooch |
| Win, Place or Steal | 1974 | Attendant |
| The Odd Couple | 1974 | TV Series | Blind Man |
| Mannix | 1974 | TV Series | Mudcat |
| McMillan & Wife | 1974 | TV Series | Floyd |
| Kolchak: The Night Stalker | 1974 | TV Series | Uncle Filemon |
| The Sty of the Blind Pig | 1974 | TV Movie | Doc |
| Toma | 1974 | TV Series |
| Truck Turner | 1974 | Duke |
| Black Belt Jones | 1974 | Pop Byrd |
| Griff | 1973 | TV Series | Joe Rawls |
| Ironside | 1973 | TV Series | Jason |
| Kojak | 1973 | TV Series | Gaylord Fuller |
| The New Temperatures Rising Show | 1973 | TV Series | Timmy |
| The New Scooby-Doo Movies | 1972-1973 | TV Series | George 'Meadowlark' Lemon |
| Slaughter's Big Rip-Off | 1973 | Cleveland |
| Detroit 9000 | 1973 | Reverend Markham |
| Adam-12 | 1972 | TV Series | George Strothers |
| Love, American Style | 1969-1972 | TV Series segment "Love and the Perfect Wedding" / One-Man Band segment "Love and the Dummies" - Love and the Clinic/Love and the Perfect Wedding/Love and the President/Love and the Return of Raymond 1972 ... segment "Love and the Perfect Wedding" |
| Lady Sings the Blues | 1972 | Big Ben |
| The King of Marvin Gardens | 1972 | Lewis (as Benjamin 'Scatman' Crothers) |
| The Lorax | 1972 | TV Short | Singer (voice, uncredited) |
| Nichols | 1972 | TV Series | Jack |
| Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color | 1971 | TV Series | King Louie |
| Bewitched | 1971 | TV Series | Handler |
| The Good Life | 1971 | TV Series | Rodney |
| Chandler | 1971 | Smoke |
| Harlem Globe Trotters | 1970-1971 | TV Series | George 'Meadowlark' Lemon |
| The AristoCats | 1970 | Scat Cat (voice) |
| The Governor & J.J. | 1970 | TV Series | Rupert |
| Barefoot in the Park | 1970 | TV Series |
| The Great White Hope | 1970 | Carnival Barker (uncredited) |
| Bloody Mama | 1970 | Moses (as 'Scatman' Crothers) |
| Hello, Dolly! | 1969 | Mr. Jones - Porter (uncredited) |
| Hook, Line and Sinker | 1969 | The Corpse (uncredited) |
| Dragnet 1967 | 1967 | TV Series | Dave Richmond |
| Alvarez Kelly | 1966 | Bellhop (uncredited) |
| Three on a Couch | 1966 | Man (uncredited) |
| The Family Jewels | 1965 | Airport Employee (uncredited) |
| The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo | 1964 | TV Series voice |
| The Patsy | 1964 | Shoeshine Boy |
| Lady in a Cage | 1964 | Junkyard Proprietor's Assistant (uncredited) |
| Bonanza | 1961 | TV Series | Jud |
| The Sins of Rachel Cade | 1961 | Musinga |
| Johnny Midnight | 1960 | TV Series | Train Attendant |
| Bourbon Street Beat | 1959 | TV Series | Joe |
| Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil | 1959 | TV Series | Wildman of Wildsville (voice) |
| Porgy and Bess | 1959 | Crabman |
| Alias Jesse James | 1959 | Railroad Porter (uncredited) |
| Tarzan and the Trappers | 1958 | TV Movie | Tyana (as Sherman Crothers) |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | 1958 | TV Series | Timothy |
| Schlitz Playhouse | 1958 | TV Series |
| The Gift of Love | 1958 | Sam the Gardener (uncredited) |
| The Adventures of Jim Bowie | 1957 | TV Series | Cicero |
| Between Heaven and Hell | 1956 | George (uncredited) |
| Climax! | 1955 | TV Series |
| Walking My Baby Back Home | 1953 | 'Smiley' Gordon (as Scat Man Crothers) |
| East of Sumatra | 1953 | Baltimore |
| Lux Video Theatre | 1953 | TV Series |
| Meet Me at the Fair | 1953 | Enoch Jones |
| The Return of Gilbert & Sullivan | 1952 | Short |
| The Colgate Comedy Hour | 1952 | TV Series | Sketch Actor |
| Yes Sir, Mr. Bones | 1951 | Scatman |
| Transformers: The Return of Optimus Prime | 1987 | Video | Jazz |
| Rock Odyssey | 1987 | Jukebox (voice) |
| The Transformers: The Movie | 1986 | Jazz (voice) |
| Morningstar/Eveningstar | 1986 | TV Series | Excell Dennis |
| Paw Paws | 1985-1986 | TV Series | Eugene the Genie |
| The Transformers | 1984-1986 | TV Series | Jazz |
| The Paper Chase | 1985 | TV Series | Mr. Sims |
| The Journey of Natty Gann | 1985 | Sherman |
| Matt Houston | 1985 | TV Series | Moonshine Moody |
| The Love Boat | 1978-1984 | TV Series | Malcolm / Virgil 'Scattergun' Gibson |
| Pryor's Place | 1984 | TV Series | Uncle Moses |
| We Got It Made | 1984 | TV Series | Franklin |
| Hill Street Blues | 1984 | TV Series | Lionel 'Train' Talbot |
| Grandpa, Will You Run with Me? | 1983 | TV Movie | Sketch Performer |
| Two of a Kind | 1983 | Earl |
| Hotel | 1983 | TV Series | Garland Fisk |
| Casablanca | 1983 | TV Series | Sam |
| Twilight Zone: The Movie | 1983 | Mr. Bloom (Segment #2) |
| Taxi | 1983 | TV Series | Walt |
| Jokebook | 1982 | TV Series | Main Title Singer (1982) (voice) |
| Missing Children: A Mother's Story | 1982 | TV Movie | Mose Wheeler |
| It Takes Two | 1982 | TV Series | Manny Gilliam |
| Deadly Eyes | 1982 | George Foskins |
| Zapped! | 1982 | Dexter Jones |
| One of the Boys | 1982 | TV Series | Bernard Solomon |
| American Playhouse | 1982 | TV Series | Parking Attendant |
| Benson | 1982 | TV Series | Rev. Tompkins |
| Trollkins | 1981 | TV Series | Additional Voices |
| The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island | 1981 | TV Movie | Dewey Stevens |
| Magnum, P.I. | 1981 | TV Series | Tickler |
| Revenge of the Gray Gang | 1981 | TV Movie | Reuben Milo |
| NBC Special Treat | 1980 | TV Series | T.P. Jackson |
| Bronco Billy | 1980 | Doc Lynch |
| The Shining | 1980 | Hallorann |
| Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels | 1977-1980 | TV Series | Additional Voices |
| Laverne & Shirley | 1980 | TV Series | Porter |
| Banjo the Woodpile Cat | 1979 | TV Short | Crazy Legs (voice) |
| Scavenger Hunt | 1979 | Sam |
| The Super Globetrotters | 1979 | TV Series | Nate Branch / Liquid Man |
| The Incredible Hulk | 1979 | TV Series | Edgar McGee |
| Vega$ | 1978-1979 | TV Series | Rosey / Rosie |
| ABC Weekend Specials | 1979 | TV Series |
| Flying High | 1978 | TV Series | Crothers |
| Charlie's Angels | 1978 | TV Series | Jip Baker |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| American Playhouse | 1982 | TV Series performer - 1 episode |
| Banjo the Woodpile Cat | 1979 | TV Short performer: "I'll Stick with You, Kid" |
| Scavenger Hunt | 1979 | performer: "There's Enough For Everyone" |
| The Cheap Detective | 1978 | performer: "Jeepers Creepers" - uncredited |
| Coonskin | 1975 | music: "Ah'm A Nigger Man" |
| Sanford and Son | 1975 | TV Series 1 episode |
| The AristoCats | 1970 | performer: "Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat" |
| Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? | 1966 | TV Movie performer: "What's a Nice Kid Like You" |
| Walking My Baby Back Home | 1953 | as Scat Man Crothers, "Man's Gotta Eat" |
| Surprising Suzie | 1953 | Short performer: "You've Gotta Have Personality" - as Scat-Man Crothers |
| Meet Me at the Fair | 1953 | performer: "Oh! Susanna", "Ezekiel Saw de Wheel", "All God's Chillun Got Shoes", "I Was There", "I Got the Shiniest Mouth in Town" - uncredited / writer: "I Was There" - uncredited |
| The Colgate Comedy Hour | 1952 | TV Series performer - 1 episode |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| Biography | 1996 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters | 1986 | Himself |
| This Is Your Life | 1984 | TV Series | Himself |
| The 5th Annual Black Achievement Awards | 1984 | TV Special | Himself |
| Salute! | 1983 | TV Series | Himself |
| Ebony/Jet Showcase | 1983 | TV Series | Himself |
| Madame's Place | 1982 | TV Series | Himself |
| The John Davidson Show | 1982 | TV Series | Himself |
| Kids Are People, Too | 1981 | TV Series | Himself |
| Ad Lib | 1981/I | TV Series | Himself |
| The Third Annual Black Achievement Awards | 1980 | TV Special | Himself |
| The 1980 Sci-Fi Awards | 1980 | TV Special | Himself |
| Making 'The Shining' | 1980 | TV Short documentary | Himself |
| Sha Na Na | 1980 | TV Series | Himself |
| Fantasy Film Festival | 1979 | TV Series | Himself |
| NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney | 1978 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Dinah! | 1975-1977 | TV Series | Himself |
| Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Ted Knight | 1977 | TV Special | Himself |
| The 3rd Annual People's Choice Awards | 1977 | TV Special | Himself - Accepting Special Award to Roots |
| Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Angie Dickinson | 1977 | TV Special | Himself |
| Break the Bank | 1977 | TV Series | Himself |
| The David Steinberg Show | 1976 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Rich Little Show | 1976 | TV Series | Himself |
| Joys | 1976 | TV Special | Himself |
| The Mike Douglas Show | 1975-1976 | TV Series | Himself - Actor |
| Celebrity Bowling | 1976 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1975 | TV Series | Himself / Himself - Guest |
| Sammy and Company | 1975 | TV Series | Himself |
| Andy Williams Presents | 1974 | TV Movie | Himself |
| The Spade Cooley Show | 1957 | TV Series | Himself (Guest Musician) |
| Johnny Dark | 1954 | Himself |
| The Colgate Comedy Hour | 1952-1954 | TV Series | Himself |
| Surprising Suzie | 1953 | Short | Himself (as Scat-Man Crothers) |
| King Cole Trio & Benny Carter Orchestra | 1950 | Short | Himself - Comedian (as Scat-Man Crothers) |
| City at Night | 1949 | TV Series | Himself - Musician (1949) |
