Veteran actor and filmmakerRoger E. Mosleyhas passed away. PerThe Hollywood Reporter, the actor, whose roles include a memorable run onMagnum P.I.alongside Tom Selleck, reportedly died on Sunday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. According to his daughter, Ch-a, Mosley died of injuries sustained in an automobile accident that occurred three days prior to his passing. He was 83 years old.
“We could never mourn such an amazing man,” Ch-a said in a statement posted to social media. “He would HATE any crying done in his name. It is time to celebrate the legacy he left for us all. I love you daddy. You loved me too. My heart is heavy but I am strong. I will care for mommy, your love of almost 60 years. You raised me well and she is in good hands. Rest easy.”
One of Mosley’s earliest roles saw him as a truck driver in 1972’sThe New Centurions. He appeared in many other films in the 1970s includingHit Man,The Mack,Terminal Island,McQ,Darktown Strutters,Stay Hungry, Leadbelly,Drum,Semi-Tough, andThe Jericho Mile. He also appeared in the 80s filmsAtticaandThe White Lionswith his 90s roles includingHeart Condition,A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, andLetters from a Killer.
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Roger E. Mosley Is Best Known for Magnum P.I.
As an actor, Roger E. Mosley is especially known for his role in the originalMagnum P.I.series as helicopter pilot Theodore T.C. Calvin, a friend of Tom Selleck’s titular character. Mosley would appear in the series from 1980 to 1988, appearing in nearly 160 episodes in the role.
Decades later, Mosley would revisitMagnum P.I.with a special guest role in the reboot series with appearances in 2010 and 2021. He had come out of retirement to appear as the barber of the new T.C., played by Stephen Hill. This would become his final role. At the time of his casting, Hill expressed his excitement about bringing the original actor into the new version of the classic series.
“Working with Roger E. Mosley was an inspiring way to begin Black History Month,” Hill toldTVLinein February 2019. “It is truly an honor for us to welcome an original cast member ofMagnum, P.I.; one who embodied the role of T.C. with such thoughtful and dignified talent.”
Hill, who willreturn as the new T.C. in future episodesof theMagnum P.I.reboot, added, “Roger and his beautiful wife Toni are proud of my take on the now-iconic character and expressed their enthusiasm to see me and my cast win. We exchanged gifts on set, and now Mr. Mosley and I have a signed Island Hoppers T-shirt from the other’s show. The proverbial torch has been passed.”
Mosley’s survivors include his wife, Antoinette, with whom he’d been with for nearly 60 years, along with three children, two grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Our thoughts go out to them and the rest of Mosley’s family and friends at this difficult time.Rest in peace, Roger E. Mosley, as your legacy lives on forever.
