American character actor Earl Billings was born on July 4, 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio. He gained fame and recognition for participating in ads for Aflac, and has appeared on several films and TV shows. Son of Willie Mae Billings, he has made a name for himself when he began acting professionally during the 1970s.
Earl Billings has been known for his portrayals in The Bionic Woman, Good Times, and Roots: The Next Generations. However, he rose to fame for playing Rob in the 1976 to 1977 TV series What’s Happening!! He later appeared in The Incredible Hulk, The Knight Rider and The Twilight Zone. Billings also became known for his work in films like Stakeout in 1987 and the biographical drama Wired in 1989. Both movies enabled him to work alongside Emilio Estevez, Richard Dreyfuss, Madeleine Stowe, Michael Chiklis, Ray Sharkey, J.T. Walsh and Alex Rocco. Earl Billings was next seen on many TV movies. Some of them are A Killer Among Us, Perry Mason: The Case of the Ruthless Reporter and Something is Out There. In 1991, he was cast in Star Trek: The Next Generation, following it up with a role in Married With Children. He was also in L.A. Law before getting a role in the thriller One False Move. He later appeared as Mayo Bonner in the series South Central, and got a string of guest appearances in Mad About You, The Practice, Smart Guy, The Steve Harvey Show, Becker, Seven Days and Chicago Hope. He continued this during the early years of 2000, landing roles in Dharma & Greg, Bette and Ally McBeal. He also voiced a character in the animated series The Proud Family before he got a recurring role in The Parkers. In 2002, he became known for his portrayal of Uncle James Elkins in the film Antwone Fisher. The next year, he was cast in American Splendor, which was nominated for an Oscar. He later got a role in the series ER, and soon appeared on the comedy film Mr 3000 starring Bernie Mac. Billings next made appearances in Without a Trace, Rodney and How I Met Your Mother and starred in the Golden Globe-nominated film Thank You for Smoking by Jason Reitman. After roles in Something New and Senior Skip Day, Earl Billings was cast in the short-lived ABC television series Miss Guided as Principal Phil Huffy.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)