Antonio Fargas

Antonio Juan Fargas (born August 14, 1946) is an American actor known for his roles in 1970s comedy movies, as well as his portrayal as Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series Starsky & Hutch and Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009).

Antonio Fargas
Fargas at the 2018 East Coast Comicon
in Secaucus, New Jersey
Born
Antonio Juan Fargas

(1946-08-14) August 14, 1946
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1963–present
Known forHuggy Bear – Starsky & Hutch
Spouse(s)
Taylor Hastie
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 1988)​

Sandra Reed (89–present)
Children4, incl. Justin Fargas
Websitewww.AntonioFargas.com

Early life

Fargas was born in New York City to Mildred (née Bailey) and Manuel Fargas; he was one of 11 children.[1][2] His father was a Puerto Rican who worked for the City of New York. His mother was from Trinidad and Tobago.[2] Raised in New York's Spanish Harlem, Fargas graduated from Fashion Industries High School in 1965.[3]

Acting career

Fargas' breakout role was in the comedy film Putney Swope (1969). After starring in a string of blaxploitation movies in the early 1970s, such as Across 110th Street (1972) and Foxy Brown (1974), he gained recognition as streetwise informant Huggy Bear in the television series Starsky & Hutch. He appeared in All My Children in the mid-1980s as the father of Angie Hubbard.

As a nod to his early roles, Fargas had a part in the blaxploitation spoof I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988) as well as another Wayans brothers "hood" parody, Don't Be a Menace (1996). He guest-starred in the mid-1990s sitcoms Living Single, Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Steve Harvey Show. Fargas played the driver in the 1998 music video for the Backstreet Boys hit "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)".

Some of Fargas' notable appearances on British television shows include Series 4 of the reality series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2004 and Frank Sidebottom's Proper Telly Show in early 2006. He played the part of Toledo in a revival of August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester in 2006. He had a regular role as Doc on the 2005–2009 television series Everybody Hates Chris.

In 2008, Fargas acted in the British boxing film Sucker Punch. He appeared in an episode of Fox's Lie to Me as the father of a murdered firefighter.

Personal life

Fargas' son Justin Fargas, a University of Southern California alumnus, is a former NFL running back who played seven seasons for the Oakland Raiders, amassing over 3,000 rushing yards in his career. Fargas' daughter-in-law is LSU women's basketball coach Nikki Caldwell.[4]

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Antonio Fargas Biography". Film Reference. 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. "Antonio Fargas Interview". Memorable TV. 2008. Archived from the original on July 21, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2017.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. Reyes, Luis (2000). Hispanics in Hollywood: A Celebration of 100 Years in Film and Television. Lone Eagle. p. 464. ISBN 9781580650250.
  4. Rabalais, Scott (September 7, 2014). "LSU's Nikki Caldwell makes it official with longtime fiancé Justin Fargas". The Advocate.
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