John Witherspoon Net Worth: John Weatherspoon, often known by his stage name John Witherspoon, was an American actor and comedian who appeared in several movies and television programs. Witherspoon also acted in movies including Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Boomerang (1992), The Five Heartbeats (1991), and Vampire in Brooklyn.
He is best known for his role as Willie Jones in the Friday series (1995). Along with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994), The Wayans Brothers (1995–99), The Tracy Morgan Show (2003), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Boondocks (2005–2014), and Black Jesus, he has also appeared on television (2014–2019).
He penned the screenplay for the movie From the Old School, in which he played an elderly working man who fights to keep a nearby convenience store from becoming a strip club.
John Witherspoon Early Life
On January 27, 1942, John Witherspoon was born in Detroit, Michigan. One of a total of eleven children, John later changed the family’s last name from Weatherspoon to Witherspoon. William Weatherspoon, his older brother, was a hit-making songwriter for Motown in the 1960s.
Another brother, Cato, worked as a director for the PBS-TV network in Detroit, and John collaborated with William on the lyrics of the 1966 hit song “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.” In Detroit, their sister Gertrude Stacks is a well-known pastor. Witherspoon developed a love of music as a child and studied the trumpet and French horn.
John Witherspoon’s Personal Life
From 1988 till his passing in 2019, John Robinson was married to Angela Robinson. Together, they had two kids: Alexander and John David (a.k.a. “J.D. J.D. is well known for posting gameplay and sitcom videos to YouTube. She also hosts the Facebook Watch game-show Confetti.
The godfather of both children is Witherspoon’s close friend David Letterman. On October 29, 2019, Witherspoon passed away after a heart attack at his Sherman Oaks, California, residence. Age-wise, he was 77. In Hollywood Hills, California, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, he is laid to rest.
John Witherspoon Career
In the 1960s and 1970s, John worked as a model while beginning his comic career. The comedians Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, David Letterman, and Jay Leno were among those he later became friends with. In 1970, he made his first appearance on television in the CBS sitcom “Barnaby Jones”.
Appearances on programs including “Good Times,” “What’s Happening,” and “The Incredible Hulk” resulted from that. Witherspoon started appearing regularly in “The Richard Pryor Show” in 1977. This resulted in a 1978 appearance on “WKRP in Cincinnati.”
He appeared in numerous series consistently during the 1980s and 1990s. Witherspoon made an appearance in the NBC police drama “Hill Street Blues” in 1981. Later that year, he had a guest appearance on “L.A. Law,” another courtroom drama on NBC.
In “You Again?” and “What’s Happening Now!” he also made an appearance. Witherspoon appeared in “Amen,” a sitcom that was produced by NBC, in 1988. The program gained notoriety for being one of the few in the 1980s to have a nearly all-black cast.
In the 1980 film “The Jazz Singer,” he made his screen debut. Other prominent film roles would include those opposite Eddie Murphy in the 1987 film “Hollywood Shuffle,” 1988’s “I’m Gonna Get You Sucka,” 1990’s “Houseparty,” and 1992’s “Boomerang.”
He also made cameos in “The Meteor Man” and “Vampire in Brooklyn.” He rose to fame for playing outrageous characters, such as the disgruntled neighbour who is continually awakened by the party in “Houseparty.” Later, he made appearances in the 1993 film “Townsend Television,” the 1994 film “Cosmic Slop,” and the 1994 film “Murder Was The Case.”
The movie “Friday” from 1995 was the one that made John Witherspoon famous. Ice Cube and F. Gary Gray wrote and helmed the stoner buddy comedy (his directorial debut). In addition to Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, and Robert Lockhart, Ice Cube also starred in the movie.
In the sequels “Next Friday” and “Friday After Next,” Witherspoon also made an appearance. He appeared in “The Wayans Bros.” comedy series starting in 1995. He played a major role in 101 episodes of the program. Additionally, he made an appearance in the Kids WB animated series “Waynehead,” which followed the life of a young kid growing up in Harlem, New York City.
It’s been 3 years since you left, and Life still sucks without you here.
No calls or checks in anymore, but it’s okay…we have to keep moving forward right?
Either way I’ll miss you till the end of time.
Keep on singing Dad…keep on singing
Love J.D. 💔 @John_POPS_Spoon pic.twitter.com/UMUdrwixao
— J.D. (@jdwitherspoon) October 30, 2022
It aired on Saturday mornings and was based on the life of its creator, Damon Wayans. In an appearance on Fox Between 2003 and 2004, he made an appearance in 18 episodes of “The Tracy Morgan Show.” Witherspoon made an appearance on the NBC reality program “Last Comic Standing” in 2003.
He also voiced Oran Jones in the episode “Adventures in Bebe Sitting” of the Disney Channel animated series “The Proud Family.” He also voiced a character in an episode of “Kim Possible,” another Disney animated series. In all 18 episodes of the comedy series “The Tracy Morgan Show,” he played the role of Spoon.
He played Willie the Wino in the 2004 television film “Pryor Offenses.” He made an appearance in 55 episodes of “The Boondocks” between 2005 and 2014. He had an appearance on the Comedy Central talk show “Weekends at the D.L.” in 2005.
“Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Street,” Rock’s a television movie with Witherspoon as the lead, aired in 2006. He portrayed Real Santa, a radio Christmas artist, in the film. Witherspoon and Shane Dawson co-starred in a “Final Destination” parody on YouTube in 2011.
He played the homeless character Lloyd in 31 episodes of “Black Jesus” from 2014 to 2019. John Witherspoon has a long history in television and film, but he has also starred in several music videos, such as Field Mob’s “Sick of Being Lonely” and Jay-“I Z’s Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)”.
He resumed his comedic career in March 2008 and embarked on a tour that had its broadcast debut on the Showtime Network. Witherspoon performed in 19 cities throughout the nation during his 2009 tour. Witherspoon returned to the stage in December 2011 to do his stand-up comedy routine at the Funny Bone comedy club inside Harrah’s Casino in Tunica, Mississippi.
Dads Money Baby? 👶🏾💰 – J.D.’s Home Movies 📹 @John_POPS_Spoon pic.twitter.com/RFD2egX9v2
— J.D. (@jdwitherspoon) October 24, 2022
John Witherspoon’s Net Worth
John Witherspoon was an American comedian and actor who had a net worth of $4 million at the time of his death in 2019. He was probably best known for his role as Willie Jones in the “Friday” film series.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is John Witherspoon?
1.78m
Who was John Witherspoon’s wife?
Angela Robinson
Did John Witherspoon have any children?
The couple had two sons Alexander Witherspoon and J.D. Witherspoon.
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