Clifton Duncan Davis
1945
-
Clifton Davis, actor, singer
and composer, has gained international recognition for his work in television
and on Broadway. For five years he played the role of Reverend Rueben Gregory
on Amen, an acclaimed NBC television series. He also starred in The
Melba Moore & Clifton Davis Show, and That's
My Mama and has been a guest star on several, including The Jamie Foxx
Show, Living Single, Malcolm and Eddie, The Sentinel,
and others.
Davis has been in several
Broadway productions and, in 1972, was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Actor
in a Musical for his role in the Broadway hit Two Gentlemen of Verona.
He also appeared the 1971 film Scott Joplin.
Davis's earliest artistic
endeavor was as a songwriter and singer. His song Never Can Say Goodbye,
sung by The Jackson 5, became a #2 national hit. He sang on the Bobby Vinton
Show in 1975 and in 1991 released an acclaimed studio recording on Benson
Records titled Say Amen.
Davis is heavily involved in
charitable and service activities, for 25 years playing a leading role in Youthville, USA, a children's services organization. He is
Executive Director for Welcome America, a non-profit organization in
Philadelphia that oversees the fourth largest Fourth of July event in the
country.
He hosts and serves as emcee
for The Most Soulful Sound, an annual gospel choir competition in Raleigh,
North Carolina. He is also host for an annual celebrity golf tournament at
Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. Davis is a co-host on the Christian
Lifestyle Magazine television program and a guest host on Trinity Broadcast
Network
Davis was born in Chicago,
Illinois, the son of a Baptist minister. He was raised in Mastic, New York, and
is an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister. He graduated from Oakwood
College, now University, with a B.A. in theology and from Andrews University
with an M.Div. in 1988.
ds/2013
Sources:
Online biographical information: Wikipedia Biography (2013).