Rudy Challenger

Rudy Challenger
Born	Rudolph Michael Challenger (1928-10-02)October 2, 1928 New York City,New York,U.S.
Died	August 22, 2012(2012-08-22)(aged 83) Van Nuys,California,U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1969–1989
Spouse(s)	Lisa Davis-Waltz(1973–1978, divorced), Charlotte(?)

Rudolph Michael Challenger(October 2, 1928 – August 22, 2012) was an African-American supporting actor who had roles in various projects over the course of his thirty-four year career in film and television in Hollywood. He appeared on such shows asSanford and Son,Kojak,Lou Grant,andThe Fall Guy.He also appeared in the 1970sblaxploitationflicksDetroit 9000(1973) and the highly successful box office hit filmSheba Baby(1975), opposite actressPam Grier.

Career

TheNew York City-born and raised Challenger first got his acting start on the stage in the early 1960s, performing in the off-Broadway playsThe Rise and Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny,Along Came A Spider,and the Jacques Levy-directedScuba Duba,where he appeared alongside the likes of future television and film stars such asJudd Hirsch,Conrad Bain,andJerry Orbach.The play ran for 692 performances, from October 10, 1967, to June 8, 1969.He also appeared in the Broadway productionsTambourines In Grey(1963),Do I Hear A Waltz?(1965),Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright(1962), and four-timeTony Awardwinning,Robert LewisdirectedOn a Clear Day You Can See Forever(1965) which ran for 280 performances, from October 17, 1965, to June 11, 1966. Challenger was married to veteran British actressLisa Davis Waltzfrom December 31, 1973, to September 14, 1978, after almost two and a half years of separation.

Challenger retired from acting on both stage and screen in 1989. He latterly resided inSouthern Californiawith his wife, Charlotte. Challenger died inVan Nuys, Californiaon August 22, 2012, at the age of 83.

External links

• Rudy ChallengeratIMDb
• Rudy Challengerat theInternet Broadway Database