Ernest Lee Thomas was born in an economically-low neighborhood in Gary, Indiana. Thomas's attempt to become a successful person was to move to New York and become a Broadway actor. He made his professional debut as as a Broadway actor appearing in the 1974 revival production of Love For Love, also in the 1975 revival production of 'The Member Of The Wedding'. Thomas also became a graduate of the prestigious American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York City. He then moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his career as a television and film actor. Shortly after moving there he received a role on the starting sitcom The Jeffersons (1975) playing the character Ronnie Walker. Thomas also guest starred on other popular shows like Baretta (1975) and The Brady Bunch (1969). During a taping session of The Jeffersons (1975) he was informed by the agent of Isabel Sanford that there was an audition for a show called, What's Happening!! (1976). He landed the role of Roger "Raj" Thomas at the age of 26. He said there were two-hundred talented actors up for the role and he states he was very blessed to have been chosen. Shortly after the show's cancellation in 1979 despite it's high ratings, Ernest Thomas was on the verge of making his mark in Hollywood as a movie actor. Thomas received the opportunity to be a part of the comedy crime film A Piece of the Action (1977) starring along side comedic genius Bill Cosby and two Academy Award winners, Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones. Thomas played the character John and the movie went on to receive rave reviews. After just missing out on the role of Kunta Kinte in the successful mini-series Roots (1977), Thomas was given the role of Kailubu. Roots (1977) went on to win several prestigious awards and inspired millions of people to find their ancestral background like Alex Haley, the author of the book on which the series was based. What's Happening Now! (1985) was the sitcom sequel to What's Happening!! (1976). This time the spin-off presented Raj as a more mature and well-developed character, even having a wife played by Anne-Marie Johnson, and becoming a successful writer. The show was in syndication for three years. Soon after the show ended Thomas made several guest appearances on various shows as Raj Thomas including The Parent 'Hood (1995), Martin (1992), Soul Food (2000), The Steve Harvey Show (1996), All About the Andersons (2003) and Just Jordan (2007). In 1992, Ernest Thomas starred along side various renowned actors including Denzel Washington in the biographical movie, Malcolm X (1992). Thomas played the character Sidney. The film was a success and was recently selected to be placed in the United States National Film Registry by Library Of Congress as they described it as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 1996 Thomas starred opposite gospel Grammy award singer Kirk Franklin in the sold out tour of "He Say, She Say, But What Does God Say". In 2005, Ernest Thomas made his comeback of being a sit-com star by being a recurring character in the period sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris (2005). Ernest Thomas played a funeral director, Mr.Omar. Ernest Thomas also because of this role is vividly remembered by younger and older audiences. Ernest Thomas earned a bachelor degree of Science in Sociology and Psychology from Indiana State University. Though he has been engaged a few times, Thomas has never married nor had any children (as of 2017).
The ultimate milquetoast and ineffectual boss in comedy outings, meek character actor Ernest Truex was a small (5'3"), adenoidal, very well-dressed fellow, a popular avuncular type in later years who enjoyed a seven-decade-long career. He was born September 19, 1889, in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of a physician. Raised in Rich Hill, Missouri, he was actually trained in acting by one of his father's actor/patients (in exchange for mounting medical bills). An acting prodigy, Truex performed Shakespeare as a small child and was at one time dubbed "The Youngest Hamlet" by promoters (the five-year-old actually played the "ghost" of Hamlet). Upon his parents' separation when Ernest was nine, he and his mother toured the West in a show billed as "The Child Entertainers," in which the young talent recited everything from "Othello" to "Romeo and Juliet." Making appearances in stock and vaudeville, he took his first Broadway bow as a teenager with "Wildfire" starring Lillian Russell in 1908, and continued in the same vein with "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1910) and "Very Good Eddie" (1915), which also featured his first wife, actress Julia Mills. In 1913, he appeared on Broadway with Mary Pickford in the popular play "A Good Little Devil." That same year Truex made his film debut with Pickford in Caprice (1913), then appeared with her in the film version of A Good Little Devil (1914). With his film career now off and running, he found a fairly comfortable niche for himself as mild-mannered, mischievous heroes in comedy capers. He played the title role in Artie, the Millionaire Kid (1916), as well as the protagonist in Come on In (1918) and Good-Bye, Bill (1918), not to mention a number of humorous shorts. His last silent film, Six Cylinder Love (1923) as Gilbert Sterling, came from an earlier Broadway success. Truex continued to rack up a strong body of stage work in the late 1920s and early 1930s. His first wife had died around this time and he married stage actress Mary Jane Barrett, appearing with her in New York in such plays as "The Third Little Show" (1931), "The Hook-Up (1935), and "Fredericka" (1937). In 1934 Truex directed, co-produced, and starred in the play "Sing and Whistle" which co-starred Sylvia Field. She would later become his third wife upon his divorce from Ms. Barrett, and came into her own in later years as the kindly Mrs. Wilson on the Dennis the Menace (1959) sitcom. With his first wife Julia Mills he had two children, Philip and James. With his second wife Mary Jane Barrett he had one child, Barry Truex. All three of his sons went into acting for the first decade of their adult lives. Philip and James Truex were mainly theatre actors but Barry Truex also had substantial roles in movies. Barry Truex's best known role was as the young Benny Goodman in The Benny Goodman Story (1956) A much sought-after character lead and farceur after the arrival of sound, Truex appeared in a host of standout roles in such comedies as Get That Venus (1933), Whistling in the Dark (1933) (another stage success), Everybody Dance (1936), a British musical comedy that co-starred Cicely Courtneidge, and Mama Runs Wild (1937). Forever the henpecked husband or exasperated executive, he was an avid scene stealer in The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), Bachelor Mother (1939), the classic His Girl Friday (1940), Lillian Russell (1940) and Christmas in July (1940). Broadway triumphs kept rolling in as well with "Best Sellers," "George Washington Slept Here" and "Androcles and the Lion." The quality of his films fell off in the postwar years and he started scouting out TV projects. He appeared as a regular on the Mister Peepers (1952) series, as a grandfather in Jamie (1953), a boss in The Ann Sothern Show (1958), and as "Pop" in the December Bride (1954) spin-off Pete and Gladys (1960). Truex died on June 27, 1973, in Fallbrook, California, of a heart attack at age 83.
Ernest Tsosie III was born in Arizona, USA. He is known for Mile Post 398 (2007), 5th World (2005) and Drunktown's Finest (2014).
Ernest Velasquez is an actor, known for Salt of the Earth (1954).
Ernest Vernon is an actor, known for You Are My Sunshine (2021), Grid (2018) and The House of Screaming Death (2017).
02-01-2021 Ernest Vestito is an American actor who has appeared in many independent films. The most recent role as a deranged captain of Homeland Security in the film 2025 Make America Purge Again. Ernest was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ernest and Grace Vestito. He is of Sicilian Italian descent. His father was born in Villa Rosa, Sicily, and immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island at age 6. Ernest's father moved the family to San Jose, California, after Ernest graduated from Parochial school for work opportunities and to be close to his wife's family. Ernest attended public high school where he studied drama and participated in school plays and even performed stand up comedy. Ernest applied for acceptance at the Performing Arts Academy in Southern California but was sidetracked by the Viet Nam war and enlisted in the Navy. He also served with the Marine Corps working as a combat medic until his discharge. In civilian life his interest was still in theater and he participated in local civic theater. Additionally, Ernest spent 34 years in law enforcement and retired a sergeant. His scope of duties included patrol officer, detectives, court security, fugitive warrants, training officer and community service. After retirement Ernest renewed his interest in performing and enrolled in theatrical coaching in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento. He has studied methods by Meisner, Uta Hagen, Stanislavsky, and Harold Guskin. Ernest has been featured in independent films, commercials, and print. Ernest is currently awaiting release of the film 2025 Make America Purge Again where he shows his dramatic and comedic ability as well. Ernest is married and has two children from his previous marriage. He and his wife have a blended family with 12 grandchildren. He has homes in California and presently resides in a recently purchased home in Coeur d Alene, Idaho.
Ernest Villegas was born in 1976 in Manlleu, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. He is an actor, known for La caza. Monteperdido (2019), Nit i dia (2016) and Una pistola en cada mano (2012).
Ernest Waddell is an actor and director, known for Sprint (2010), Savage and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).
Ernest Walczynski is known for The Partisan, Gorzko, gorzko! (2022) and Sweat (2020).
Ernest Walker is an actor, known for Ronald (2019), Hi How Are You? and The Birthmark Killer (2021).