Lincoln Kilpatrick

Lincoln Kilpatrick (February 12, 1931 – May 18, 2004) was an American actor whose work spanned film, television, and stage. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, he studied drama at Lincoln University, where he earned his degree before beginning his professional acting career.

Kilpatrick made his Broadway debut in 1959 in A Raisin in the Sun, a step he took with encouragement from singer Billie Holiday. His stage career continued through the mid-1960s, with additional Broadway appearances in The Country Wife, Danton's Death, Blues for Mister Charlie, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He was also the first African-American member of the Lincoln Center Repertory Company. During the 1960s, his screen work consisted primarily of guest roles in television productions and supporting parts in films, while stage and theater remained the central focus of his career, an engagement he maintained until his death.

Beyond his performing career, Kilpatrick co-founded the Kilpatrick-Cambridge Theatre Arts School in Hollywood, California. He was married for 47 years to singer and stage performer Helena Ferguson, from 1957 until his death from lung cancer on May 18, 2004. The couple had five children: actor and composer Lincoln Kilpatrick Jr.; writer, director, and actor DaCarla Kilpatrick; actor and director Erik Kilpatrick; actor Jozella Reed; and producer Marjorie L. Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was buried at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.