An American actor best known for his groundbreaking role as the protagonist in the 1968 horror classic "Night of the Living Dead," he was one of the first African American actors to star in a horror film, challenging racial norms of the time. Born in 1937 in New York City, he pursued higher education at the University of Pittsburgh and later at the Sorbonne in Paris. Besides acting, he was dedicated to theater education, serving as a professor and artistic director until his death in 1988.