Actor
Ji-Tu Cumbuka
, who appeared on TV series 'Roots' and films like 'Bound for Glory', 'Brewster's Millions' and '
Harlem Nights
', has died. He was 77. Cumbuka died on Tuesday in Atlanta after a long illness, his niece,
Amber Holifield
, announced on Facebook
<iframe src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMsHolifield%2Fposts%2F10212774205726623&width=500" width="500" height="746" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>
Cumbuka portrayed the slave Wrestler on the landmark 1977 ABC miniseries 'Roots' and played opposite
Richard Pryor in 'Brewster's Millions' (1985), 'Moving'(1988) and, as the character Toothless Gambler, in 'Harlem Nights' (1989).
The 6-foot-5 actor had a recurring role as Torque, a man with a detachable hand, on the short-lived 1979 NBC series 'A Man Called Sloane', starring Robert Conrad, and he also appeared on the small screen in Brian's Song, "The Six Million Dollar Man", 'Ironside', 'Kung Fu','Sanford and Son', '
Knight Rider
', 'Hunter', ' Landing' and 'CSI.'