John Witherspoon Was the Ultimate Father Figure—On and Off the Screen
The ‘Friday’ and ‘Boomerang’ star, who died Tuesday at 77, had a paternal presence that went well beyond the characters he portrayed You probably noticed his outfits first (how could you not?), but John Witherspoon made his presence felt in everything he appeared in. To simply call Witherspoon, who died at the age of 77 Tuesday, a legend undersells his legacy. The actor connected generations of black comedy and black Hollywood, from The Richard Pryor Show to Black Jesus . There’s a 10-year stretch in which he appeared in numerous classic films, including 1987’s Hollywood Shuffle , 1990’s House Party , 1992’s Boomerang , and 1995’s Friday . In Witherspoon’s most notable roles, he shined as a paternal figure: someone just as eager to offer guidance as he was to roast whoever—and someone who might do both in the same sentence. That sense of responsibility was resonant and necessary. It was about guiding the next generation along the right path with the understanding th...