'Harlem Nights' actor Ji-Tu Cumbuka dies at 77

The 'black actor in Hollywood' Ji-Tu Cumbuka, who appeared in movies like ' Bound for Glory,' 'Brewster's Millions' and 'Harlem Nights' took his last breath at the age of 77.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Cumbuka passed away in Atlanta, after a long illness, his niece, Amber Holifield, reported on Facebook.

Cumbuka portrayed the slave Wrestler on the landmark 1977 ABC miniseries ' Roots' and played opposite Richard Pryor in ' Brewster's Millions' (1985), 'Moving' (1988) and as the character "Toothless Gambler" in ' Harlem Nights' (1989).

Born in Alabama on March 4, 1940, Cumbuka made his onscreen debut in 'Uptight' (1968), directed by Jules Dassin and then had a role in Elvis Presley's last film as an actor 'Change of Habit' (1969).

He published a memoir, 'A Giant to Remember: The Black Actor in Hollywood,' in 2012.

-ANI