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Antonio Fargas, born in New York City, landed his first role by responding to a newspaper ad calling for young men to appear in a film titled "The Cool World," being filmed in Harlem. He went on to study with the American Community Theatre, and Lloyd Richards' and Robert Hooks' Group Theater Workshop, which later became famous as the Negro Ensemble Company.
His first major role was on Broadway in "The Great White Hope," starring James Earl Jones. Other roles followed in such plays as LeRoy Jones' "The Slave" and "The Toilet"; James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner," in which he toured Europe; the all-black cast production of "The Glass Menagerie" (Tony played the Gentleman Caller), and "Ceremonies in Dark Old Men," in which he replaced Billy Dee Williams.
In California for the West Coast production of "Dream on Monkey Mountain" with Roscoe Lee Browne, he made his television debut on The Bill Cosby Show. Earlier, he has appeared in the motion picture "Putney Swope," which was filmed in New York. This was followed by major roles in "Shaft," "Pound," "Across the 110th Street," and "Car Wash."
A starring role in the feature, "Cleopatra Jones," brought Tony and his wife, Katie, to Hollywood permanently. On television he has guest starred in segments of "The Night Stalker," "Police Story," "Police Woman," "Toma" and "Ironside." His television films include Norman Lear's "Hereafter," and the ABC Television movies, "Huckleberry Finn" and "Starsky & Hutch," which served as the pilot for the series.
* This was Antonio Fargas' biographical information at the time when he portrayed Huggy Bear in "Starsky & Hutch."
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