---
name: "Moses Gunn"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/moses-gunn"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "2 October 1929"
died: "16 December 1993"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 86
updated: "2026-09-16T21:21:06.472432+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Moses Gunn

Actor. Born 2 October 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.. Died 16 December 1993.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 2 October 1929, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
- **Died:** 16 December 1993
- **Active:** 1977–1993

## Biography

Moses Gunn (1929–1993) was an American actor of stage and screen. He co-founded the Negro Ensemble Company and made his off-Broadway debut in 1962 in Jean Genet’s *The Blacks*. He won Obie Awards for performances including Aaron in *Titus Andronicus* (1968) and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for *The Poison Tree* (1976). He played Othello on Broadway in 1970.

Gunn is known for film roles such as Bumpy Jonas in *Shaft* (1971) and its 1972 sequel, Booker T. Washington in *Ragtime* (1981), which brought him an NAACP Image Award, and Cairon in *The NeverEnding Story* (1984). On television he played Joe Kagan in *Little House on the Prairie* (1977–1981) and Kintango in the miniseries *Roots* (1977), for which he received an Emmy nomination.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1993), Fi1m 89, as Risley Tucker — [page](https://film.one/tv/homicide-life-on-the-street.md)
- *Roots* (1977), Fi1m 83, as Kintango — [page](https://film.one/tv/roots.md)

## Also known for

- *The NeverEnding Story* (1984), Cairon - Empress' Servant
- *Heartbreak Ridge* (1986), Staff Sergeant Webster
- *Little House on the Prairie* (1974), Joe Kagan
- *Tales from the Crypt* (1989), Uncle Ezra Thornberry
- *Firestarter* (1984), Dr. Pynchot
- *Rollerball* (1975), Cletus
- *The Cosby Show* (1984), Dr. Lotus, Joe Kendall
- *Shaft* (1971), Bumpy Jonas

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/moses-gunn