Robin Harris

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Biography

Robin Hughes Harris (August 30, 1953 – March 18, 1990) was an United States|American comedian and actor , known for his recurring comic sketch about '' Bebe's Kids|Bébé's Kids ''.

Childhood

Robin Harris was born in Chicago, Illinois . His father, Earl, was a welder, and his mother, Mattie, was a factory seamstress. In 1961, the family moved to Los Angeles where he attended Manual Arts High School. A track star, Harris received a scholarship and attended Ottawa University in Kansas . During this time, he began to hone his craft of comedy. He worked for Hughes Aircraft , a rental car company, and Security Pacific Bank to pay his bills. In 1980, he debuted at Los Angeles’ Comedy Store with little response.

Career

During the mid 80's Robin worked as the master of ceremonies at the Comedy Act Theater. His “old school” brand of humor began to gain him a mainstream following. A large-eyed stand-up churlish brand of humor and quick put-downs were his trademark. Harris made a promising feature debut playing a no-nonsense bartender in the feature film '' I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988). Harris performed in director Spike Lee ’s Do the Right Thing (1989). As "Sweet Dick Willie," Harris served as part of the neighborhood " Greek chorus " that commented on the events of an increasingly tense day. Harris was Pop, the no-nonsense, quick-witted father of Christopher Reid (entertainer)|Kid in House Party (film)|House Party (1990). He followed up later that year with a small turn as a jazz club MC in Mo' Better Blues ''. He also had a role in Eddie Murphy 's Harlem Nights (1989).
Fellow comedian and actor Raymond "The RayVolution" Baxter credits Harris with him becoming a stand up, "I saw Mr. Harris at home in Chicago at a club my aunt worked for and he was nice enough to see me after a set and joke around with me. He said I was funny enough to get on the circuit at 11& #33; So that day I went to work on my material..."

Bébé's Kids

In Harris' "Bébé's Kids" routines, Harris' girlfriend Jamika would insist that he take her friend Bébé's four bad ass children with them on a date, as she continually agreed to babysit them. The children would regularly make a fool out of and/or annoy Harris. "We Bébé's kids," they would proclaim, "we don't die...we multiply. "

The Hudlin Brothers had intended to make a feature film based upon the "Bébé's Kids" sketches, but Harris died while the film was in pre-production. '' Bébé's Kids '' instead became an animated feature —the first ever to feature an all-black main cast—directed by Bruce W. Smith and featuring the voices of Faizon Love (as Harris), Vanessa Bell Calloway , Marques Houston , Nell Carter , and Tone Loc .

Death

In the early hours of March 18, 1990, Harris died in his sleep of a Myocardial infarction|heart attack in his Chicago hotel room after performing for a sold out crowd at the Regal Theater following opening act, Chicago native and 20-year old comedian Chris Rabb. Harris was transported back to California, and interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery , near Los Angeles. House Party 2 was dedicated to his memory. Through archive footage , he makes a brief cameo appearance as a photo of him comes to life and tells Kid "Keep your mind on them books and off them 'gals!", which was actually taken from a scene in the original House Party .

At the time of Harris' death, his wife was pregnant with their son, Robin Harris, Jr .

In 2006, a posthumous DVD entitled ''We Don't Die, We Multiply: The Robin Harris Story (2006), was released. The film features never seen before performances by Harris and accolades from his contemporaries Martin Lawrence , Bernie Mac , Cedric the Entertainer , D.L. Hughley , Robert Townsend (actor)|Robert Townsend , and Joe Torry . The film also features a rap performed and dedicated to Harris by his son, Robin Harris, Jr.

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1991	Independent Spirit Award	Nominated	Best Supporting Male	House Party

Copyright Citations

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1. 1990

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