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Lou Myers (September 26, 1935 – February 19, 2013), known alternately as Lou Leabengula Myers, was an American actor.

Myers was born in Chesapeake, West Virginia, the son of Dorothy Louise Brown Myers and Otis Louis Myers, a coal miner who spoke fluent German. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951. He was discharged in 1953 and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in sociology from West Virginia State University and an MFA in theatre from NYU.

Myers was typically typecast as a grumpy old man, but he appeared in many movies, plays, and television programs. He made his Broadway debut in 1975 as Reverend Mosely in the production The First Breeze of Summer, alongside Ethel Ayler, Moses Gunn, Bebe Drake, and Barbara Montgomery. He joined them in recreating their roles for a television adaptation that aired on Great Performances in 1976.

Myers was an original cast member of many August Wilson plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, and The Piano Lesson.

He is perhaps best known as the feisty Mr. Vernon Gaines in the sitcom A Different World. Myers was also an accomplished pianist and founder/director of the Tshaka Ensemble Players in Africa.

Myers died at the Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia after battling pneumonia for several months.

Awards

Myers won an NAACP Image Award for his role as the Stool Pigeon in the August Wilson play King Hedley II. He also won the Off-Broadway AUDELCO Award for his role in the play Fat Tuesday.

In 2005 the Appalachian Education Initiative listed Myers as one of 50 "Outstanding Creative Artists" from the State of West Virginia and featured him in their coffee table book Art & Soul.

Filmography

References

1. "Lou Myers Dead – Mr. Vernon Gaines From 'A Different World' Dies at 77". TMZ.com. February 20, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
2. "The First Breeze of Summer". Playbill. p. 19. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
3. "West Virginia State University - MEMORIAL SERVICE AND LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT CEREMONY - Louis Eddy 'Lou' Myers" (PDF).
4. Encyclopedia.com - Lou Myers
5. Playbill - The First Breeze of Summer
6. IMDB - The First Breeze of Summer
7. "West Virginia State University - Lou Myers".
8. "Lou Myers, A Different World Actor, Dies". People Magazine. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
9. "Lou Myers, Actor born - African American Registry".
10. "West Virginia-born actor Lou Myers dies | Arts Entertainment | wvgazettemail.com". February 20, 2013.

External links

• Lou Myers at IMDb
• Lou Myers at the Internet Broadway Database
• Interview with Lou Myers, mosaec.com

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• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• People from Cabin Creek, West Virginia
• Male actors from West Virginia
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• American screen actor, 1930s birth stubs