Biography for
Bernie Hamilton More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

12 June 1928, Los Angeles, California, USA

Date of Death

30 December 2008, Los Angeles, California, USA (cardiac arrest)

Birth Name

Bernard Hamilton

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Spouse

Maxine King

(? - February 1968) (divorced)

Trivia

Divorced father of two children - daughter Candy and son Raoul.

Managed to avoid stereotyping for the most part in his early films years, his debut was as a baseball player in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950). His most important role was in the frank, groundbreaking drama One Potato, Two Potato (1964) as the black husband of a white woman (Barbara Barrie).

Brother of jazz drummer Chico Hamilton. Originally cast as "Roop" in the film, Claudine (1974), but was dropped when Diana Sands, originally cast in the title role, had to withdraw because of illness. Diana suggested that the role go to her friend Diahann Carroll. When Carroll auditioned and got the part, James Earl Jones was cast in the role of "Roop".

A collector of antiques, his favorite sport was deep sea fishing.

Initially a white actor was cast to play Captain Harold Dobey on "Starsky and Hutch" (1975). Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg, however, remembered Bernie, who had already played a police captain in a previous Spelling-Goldberg TV show, and thought he'd provided the right chemistry and balance. Since they already had film on him, Bernie didn't need a screen test and secured the part.

Founded the record label Chocolate Snowman.

Produced and sang on the album "Capt. Dobey Sings the Blues". Captain Dobey was the gruff police captain he played for four seasons on "Starsky and Hutch" (1975).

Operated the Citadel d'Haiti, a nightclub-art gallery on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles during the late '60s and early '70s.

Ran away from home as a teenager but eventually attended Oakland Technical High School where he played football and developed an interest in acting.

Had five brothers and one sister and was raised in East Los Angeles. Two brothers survived him, Chico and Don.

Brother of Chico Hamilton.

Music producer for twenty years, working on R&B and soul albums.

After "Starsky and Hutch" (1975) ended, Hamilton spent twenty years producing R&B and Gospel records for the Chocolate Snowman label.

He attended Oakland Technical High School where he played football and studied acting in Oakland, California.