PASSAGES
WILLIAM “BILL” NUNN ’76
Played Radio Raheem in “Do the Right Thing”
Bill Nunn (far left) speaks with a student on the steps of Sale Hall.
ACTOR WILLIAM “BILL” NUNN III ’76, best known for his iconic portrayal of Radio Raheem in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” died on Sept. 24, 2016. An English major from Pittsburgh, Pa., Nunn first performed around the country as part of the comedy team “Nunn and Cooper” with his longtime friend, Al Cooper. His film breakthrough was in 1988 in another of Lee’s film, “School Daze,” as football player Grady. Nunn’s career spanned film, television and stage as he appeared in movies such as the “Spiderman” trilogy, “New Jack City” and “A Raisin in the Sun.” It was his 1989 role in “Do the Right Thing” that has resonated in recent times. Nunn played Radio Raheem, the young black male who died as a victim of police brutality. Morehouse presented Nunn with a Bennie Trailblazer award in 2002.
Nunn portraying Radio Raheem in “Do the Right Thing” with director Spike Lee ’79
“Bill did what every Morehouse Man is charged to do: demonstrate acuity, practice integrity, exhibit agency, commit to brotherhood and lead consequential lives,” said President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ‘79. “His acting career—particularly in films that his Morehouse brothers Shelton ‘Spike’ Lee ’79 and Samuel L. Jackson ’72 led and took part in—truly made a mark in cinema.” n WINTER 2017
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