Zandra Hill
- Actor
Zandra Breighton Hill grew up in Santa Barbara, CA after the age of
three. Zandra's father-Floyd James Hill- wasn't married to his mother,
but Clifford Pitts was. Therefor Zandra was given his mother's husband
last name. DNA shows that Zandra is 54% black and 46% white, with 4% of
that Irish. Zandra's mother, Daisy Parker Pitts had been separated from
her husband for four years but when Zandra was three his mother decided
to take Zandra and the siblings still living at home (Daisy had had
Zandra late in life at the age of 43, so Zandra had siblings already
married or in the armed forces. Zandra was the tenth and last child) to
Santa Barbara for a reconciliation. That only lasted about two years
before they separated for good. While in his twenties Zandra changed
his last name to Breighton. He was tired of being called Clifford
Pitts' son, yet his real father-still in Georgia-hadn't given much
quality time to him, so Zandra wasn't too keen on using Hill. After
some years Zandra started using Hill as a last name and Breighton as a
middle name. Zandra is the last of the Hills, so when he goes, that's
it for millions of years of evolution. So far Zandra hasn't married and
has no known children. Zandra went to Lincoln and Our Lady Of Guadalupe
grammar schools and Santa Barbara Jr High to the ninth grade, then
graduating from Santa Barbara High school in 1964, at 17. He wanted to
go to USC for football but hadn't cared about grades while in high
school, so USC told him to go to the local city college (Santa Barbara
City College), and work on those grades. At the end of his first
semester Zandra got restless and went into the US Army for three years.
This was May of 1965 to May of 1968. After going to Oahu for a few
months Zandra found himself and the rest of the 25th Infantry Division
on ships to Vietnam. He was in Cu Chi South Vietnam from March 1966 to
March 1967, with the 2nd Batallion of the 27th Infantry, of the 25th
Infantry Division. He was stationed in Headquarters Company with the
Medical Platoon. After Vietnam Zandra had 14 months left in the Army so
he asked for Europe and was given a station in Wurzburg, Getmany, at
the 33rd Field Hospital. He took a European Discharge in May of 1968
and travelled around Europe for 8 months, single, 21, and a pocket full
of money. His favorite place was Copenhaven, Denmark. When Zandra was
in high school, there were, a year ahead of him, two guys who would
later become movie directors, Ron Shelton and Taylor Hackford. While
going through a homeless period, Zandra, through Ron's brother Dave,
got in touch with Ron to see if he could use Zandra for something. Ron
said yes, and Zandra went to LA for the gig in White Men Can't Jump;
which Ron also wrote. Although recorded saying lines, and although
screen credit is given, they took Zandra's lines out. The camera still
pans over Zandra, but with no lines he looks like an extra. He had
Ron's people get in touch with Taylor Hackford's people to see if
Taylor had anything. Taylor did and Zandra played "Black cook" in Blood
in, Blood Out: Bound By Honor. While you can see and hear Zandra in
Taylor's movie, the movie wasn't as popular as WMCJ. Zandra made some
bad decisions, like not following his agents advice, among other
things, and so his career faded away. Zandra has had a California Real
Estate License, been a radio announcer, an Expiditer-management trainee
at Raytheon, a cab driver, delivered and sorted mail at the USPS, been
a hotel desk clerk, a Child Support Assistant, an Eligibility Worker in
Food Stamps and Medi-cal, and a telemarketer.