John Witherspoon (born John Weatherspoon; January 27, 1942 – October 29, 2019) was an American actor and comedian who performed in dozens of television shows and films. Best known for his role as Willie Jones for the Friday series, Witherspoon also starred in films such as Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Boomerang (1992) and Vampire In Brooklyn (1995). He has also made appearances on television shows such as The Wayans Bros. (1995–99), The Tracy Morgan Show (2003), Barnaby Jones (1973), The Boondocks (2005–present), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Black Jesus (2014). He wrote a film, From the Old School, in which he played an elderly working man who tries to prevent a neighborhood convenience store from being developed into a strip club. Witherspoon worked occasionally as a model. During the 1960s and 1970s, he began to take a liking towards comedy. During that time he began his stand-up comedy career. As a result, he had many friends in the business, including Tim Reid (while he was working on WKRP in Cincinnati and The Richard Pryor Show), Robin Williams (also on The Richard Pryor Show), Jay Leno, and David Letterman. Witherspoon has performed in many feature films (usually comedies), including Friday (and its sequel Next Friday) as well as Hollywood Shuffle, I'm Gonna Get You Sucka, Bird, Vampire in Brooklyn, and The Meteor Man. Witherspoon was also known for his over-the-top characters in films like House Party, in which he played an irritated neighbor who is repeatedly woken up by the party. In the film Boomerang with Eddie Murphy where he plays Mr. Jackson, the ill-mannered father of Murphy's best friend.
