Ron O'Neal

A tall, handsome and light-complected African-American player of stage and screen, Ron O'Neal first gained some measure of prominence with his portrayal of Youngblood Priest, the cool, resourceful and stylishly dressed cocaine dealer protagonist of "Superfly" (1972). Dismissed by some as just more "blaxploitation" fodder and damned by others for its supposed glorification of criminal behavior, "Superfly" was embraced by audiences and became a surprise hit. The success of this story of an outlaw's last big score generated the inevitable sequel, "Super Fly T.N.T." (1973), but surprisingly, O'Neal now occupied the director's chair and provided the politically-themed story. The film was generally deemed a disaster. The promising actor's nascent film career never recovered from this early setback.