Ray Vitte

Ray Vitte
Born(1949-11-20)November 20, 1949
DiedFebruary 20, 1983(1983-02-20) (aged 33)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1973–1983

Raymond Vitte (November 20, 1949 – February 20, 1983) was an American actor who starred mostly in comedy and drama films in the 1970s and early 1980s. He made numerous guest appearances on television shows and was a cast member of the show Doc in 1976.[1]

Vitte, who had been fevered for days and acting strangely for hours in his Los Angeles home, died in 1983 following a scuffle with two Los Angeles Police Department officers who were transporting Vitte to a nearby hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.[2]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1973 Kojak Prisoner In episode "Requiem for a Cop" (Season 1, ep. #6)
1974 Airport 1975 Passenger Uncredited
Police Woman Ron Daniels In episode "Smack" (Season 1, ep. #11)
Sanford and Son Lewis In episode "Sanford and Niece" (Season 4, ep. #9)
Cannon Joe In episode "The Exchange" (Season 4, ep. #6)
1974-1975 That's My Mama Freddie Hampton 7 episodes
1975 America, You're On Carlyle Green II TV movie
Joe Forrester (TV series) Ethan Gates In episode "Stake Out" (series pilot)
Harry O Richie Harris / Bama 2 episodes
Police Story Slow Pony / Con / Alvin Lewis 3 episodes
Sky Heist Deputy Rick Busby TV movie
1976 Car Wash Geronimo
Doc (1975 TV series) Woody Henderson 7 episodes
Father O Father (TV movie) Uncredited role
1977 Charlie's Angels Sharp in episode "Terror on Ward One" (Season 1, episode #18)
What's Happening Gene / Dean 3 episodes
1978 Thank God It's Friday Bobby Speed
Mother, Jugs & Speed Mother TV short
Up in Smoke The Band: Bass - James
1978–1979 David Cassidy: Man Undercover Officer T.J. Epps 5 episodes
1979 A Force of One Newton
1979 The Man in the Santa Claus Suit Eddie
1980 9 to 5 Eddie
Cruising Uncredited role
Heart Beat Undercover Agent
1981 Gimme a Break! Ken in episode "A Good Man is Hard to Find" (Season 1, episode #2)
Grambling's White Tiger Rags TV movie
Quincy M.E. Man in episode "Vigil of Fear" (Season 6, episode #18)
1982 The Powers of Matthew Star Dr. Baker in episode "The Fugitive" (Season 1, episode #12)
The Quest (1982 TV series) Cody Johnson 9 episodes

Death

[edit]

In February 1983, police were called to Vitte's home in Studio City by neighbors claiming that a man had been making "religious shoutings laced with references to Muhammad" for more than 12 hours".[2] Vitte allegedly lunged at one of the officers who subsequently struck him with a baton. Vitte attempted to run away, but was struck again by officers who also used tear gas with no effect.[3] After Vitte ran away again, he fell down at the side of a swimming pool where officers handcuffed him and placed him into a squad car. En route to a hospital for a mental evaluation, the officers noticed Vitte had stopped breathing. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.[2]

A group including singer Donna Summer and the president of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood chapter of the NAACP protested Vitte's death in a news conference,[4] with Summer saying "...a man who's basically minding his own business in his own home, who happens to be creating a disturbance somehow, is now dead because his neighbors called the police".

A spokesman for the coroner's office said preliminary results of an autopsy showed "superficial injuries consistent with a struggle" but which were "not responsible for his death".[4] According to the coroner's report, Vitte died of complications from sickle cell disease.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen. "Ray Vitte." The A to Z of African-American Television, Scarecrow Press, 2009, pp. 464–464.
  2. ^ a b c Barabak, Mark (February 22, 1983). "Actor Raymond Vitte dies in police scuffle". United Press International. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "Raymond Vitte, 33, an Actor, Dies After Scuffle With Police". New York Times. February 22, 1983. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Actor Raymond Vitte, who died minutes after a weekend..." United Press International. February 22, 1983. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Siegel, Lee (April 20, 1983). "Actor Raymond Vitte - Cell disease death cause, coroner says". The Desert Sun. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
[edit]