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Obscure Black C-Listers: Kelly Perine

Thembi Ford 12 December 2008 8 Comments

Poor Kelly Perine. He is the perfect example of a black actor whose resume would suggest you know his name, but few people do. Perine has been acting almost his entire life, starting out as a stand-up comedian and moving to commercials, earning an MFA, and finally landing a series of bit parts and recurring roles on sitcoms. In addition to recurring roles on black shows like One on One and Hanging With Mr. Cooper, he’s had more visibility than most actors could ever hope for through parts on the mainstream vehicles Providence and The Drew Carey Show. His contribution tends to consist of meathead shtick (Living Single, The Practice, The Parent’hood), or a nervous, straight-laced corniness demonstrated by character Dusty on the short-lived Between Brothers. He currently stars in Under One Roof, where he plays “Walter Hill, a wealthy, conservative man whose ex-convict brother, Calvester, moves in and turns the family’s life upside down.” Oh, Calvester is played by Flava Flav, which means that Perine’s squareness has crossed over into coon-enabling behavior. See, now he done messed up, and I have to keep an eye on him forever.

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8 Comments »

  • Invisible Woman said:

    His presence on any show is equal to the grim reaper–he is the ultimate kiss of death…has he been on any show longer than one season?

    # 13 December 2008 at 12:54 pm
  • Thembi said:

    @IW
    Yes, but ONLY on UPN/WB type of stuff. Maybe he is so overdone that as soon as he’s cast the whole production just stinks. Its hard to seem overdone next to Ray J…

    # 13 December 2008 at 12:56 pm
  • boris said:

    i loved him on One on One

    and Flava Flav is such a coon on his show. makes me cringe when i watch it

    # 13 December 2008 at 2:48 pm
  • Aida said:

    the name calvester should never have been invented. i wish someone could take it back.

    # 14 December 2008 at 5:50 pm
  • Reginald Dorsey said:

    @Aida, too late, it’s in the atmosphere now.

    I remember my mother thought I was making up the name Creon after we read Oedipus Rex in 9th grade. That just sounds ebonic.

    # 15 December 2008 at 2:27 pm
  • Blazingnickel said:

    He’s like the black Jerry Stiller, recast in the same role/character on every show he’s in. You just can’t get rid of him.

    # 16 December 2008 at 4:43 am
  • jazzfan360 said:

    Oh, that’s not just him and Jerry Stiller. A whoooole lotta comedians and character actors make long careers out of doin the same shtick all over the place.

    # 16 December 2008 at 11:40 am
  • Classick Material said:

    He is the black C-list version of Ted McGinley… a.k.a. “sitcom-killa!”

    # 16 October 2009 at 6:45 am

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