Art Evans Passed Away!

Art Evans, a pioneering Black actor passed away from diabetes.

Art Evans was perhaps best known in my childhood TV days as Santa Claus disguised as a homeless man named Ben on Family Matters who patched up a feud between Eddie and Laura over his reckless decision to throw out a doll she cherished. 

Art had passed away at the age of 82. He passed away from complications of diabetes. He leaves behind wife Bebe and son, Ogadae.

Evans' acting career, spanning almost 40 years, started with Frank Silvera's Theater of Being in Los Angeles. He took a starring role in The Amen Corner which transferred to Broadway in 1965. His first uncredited acting performance in film was Claudine in 1974. His first credited role was in Chico and the Man as Bubba in the episode "Too Many Crooks" which aired in 1976, and his talents for many instruments came in handy when playing Blind Lemon Jefferson in the movie Leadbelly (1976).

One of Evans's early roles was the first victim in the John Carpenter film Christine, based on the novel by Stephen King; Evans played a Detroit auto worker found dead on the assembly line after daring to flick cigar ash on Christine's upholstery. In 1984, Evans co-starred in the all-star African-American drama A Soldier's Story as the memorable brown-nosing character Wilkie. He is probably best known for his role as Leslie Barnes in the action film Die Hard 2 (1990) in which he played the chief engineer at Dulles International Airport that helps LAPD detective John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, stop terrorists from crashing planes. His other film credits include Big Time (1977), Youngblood (1978), The Cracker Factory (1979), National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982), Into the Night (1985), Fright Night (1985), Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Native Son (1986), White of the Eye (1987), School Daze (1988), The Mighty Quinn (1989), Downtown (1990), Trespass (1992), CB4 (1993), Bitter Harvest (1993), Tales from the Hood (1995) and Metro (1997). He has also made many appearances in a variety of television shows such as M*A*S*H, Hill Street Blues, Monk, The X-Files, and Family Matters on which he played a man claiming to be Santa Claus. His most recognizable television role was on A Different World, portraying Mr. Johnson, father of Ron Johnson (portrayed by Darryl M. Bell).

Evans also starred in the music video for Stevie Wonder's "Go Home".

In 2010, Evans was seen in Anderson's Cross playing the grandfather of the lead character Nick Anderson. In 2011, Art had a guest appearance on the sitcom Last Man Standing in the episode titled "Grandparents Day".