Died at 91
male
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ted Ross (June 30, 1934 – September 3, 2002) was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in The Wiz, an all-African American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production, and went on to recreate the role in the 1978 film version which also starred Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Ross went on to appear in the films Arthur and Police Academy, and on the television sitcoms The Jeffersons, Benson, The Cosby Show, and its spin-off A Different World. His final role was in the 1991 film The Fisher King. Ross was born Theodore Ross Roberts in Zanesville, Ohio, but he moved with his family to Dayton at age seven. He died from complications of a stroke he suffered in 1998. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ted Ross, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
A year after losing their daughter, The Reynolds, a well to do publisher and his wife lose their black poodle while out on an evening stroll. They receive an anonymous ransom note demanding $1000 dollars in cash in exchange for their poodle. The Reynolds immediately and discreetly contact law enforcement, but few, if any officers seem to care about their case. The kidnapping catches the eye of a young and Idealistic Police patrolman (Clarence), who decides to investigate this crime without the explicit permission of his department. Clarence is able to trace the letter to a disagreeable disabled man (Kenneth), living in a hovel but he is not able to find the poodle. The department is not able to pin the crime on Kenneth, but Clarence is determined to bring him to justice. Despite his limitations, Kenneth is always one step ahead of Clarence and the NYPD, who treats Clarence's intrest in the case with contempt and suspicion.
