Google
 

Dig A Hole: Robert DoQui, veteran character actor and member of Robert Altman’s stock company

February 28th, 2008 by Scott Marks

lily-tomlin-robert-doqui-in-robert-altmans-nashville-1975.jpg
With Lily Tomlin in Robert Altman’s “Nashville” (1975)

Versatile character actor Robert DoQui died February 9 in Los Angeles. He was 74.

Mr. DoQui was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma and later attended Langston University on a music scholarship. After a four year hitch in the army, DoQui headed east to pursue a career in acting. He first appeared on television as Lieutenant Jackson in The Invisible Enemy episode of The Outer Limits. After bit roles in The Cincinnati Kid and The Fortune Cookie, DoQui spent the remainder of the 60s appearing on some of the decade’s most popular television shows.

I Dream of Jeannie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Family Affair, Get Smart, The Mod Squad, Gunsmoke and Mission: Impossible are just a few of the series that the prolific actor worked on. In the early 70s, with the blaxploitation movement just warming up, DoQui landed roles in The Man, starring James Earl Jones as the first black President and Coffy where Pam Grier was hot, black and thoroughly capable of creaming you.

The closest he came to an art house vogue was appearances in three (Nashville, Buffalo Bill and the Indians and Short Cuts) Robert Altman films. DoQui is probably best know for playing the gruff, by the books Sergeant Warren Reed in all three RoboCop films.

His brush with the big screen was fleeting. For every feature film appearance there were a dozen TV roles including Maude, Quincy, Barnaby Jones, Punky Brewster, Benson, The Facts of Life, E.R. and Party of Five. In addition to live action gigs, DoQui’s distinctive voice brought him work on the animated series The Harlem Globetrotters, Scooby Doo and Batman.

DoQui served for ten years on the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild, advocating for increased participation of women and minority groups in the media.

He is survived by his life partner Mittie Lawrence; four sons; a daughter; his 96 year old mother and 10 grandchildren.

Tags: , , , ,

Filed Under Obituaries