Phillips, Joseph C. 1962-

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Phillips, Joseph C. 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born 1962, in Denver, CO; married; wife's name Nicole; children: Connor, Ellis, Samuel. Education: Attended University of the Pacific; New York University, B.F.A., 1983. Hobbies and other interests: Writing, playing softball, collecting art.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Carsey-Werner Co., 4024 Radford Ave., Bldg. 3, Studio City, CA 91604-2101. Agent—Buchwald & Associates, 10 E. 44th St., New York, NY 10017.

CAREER:

Actor. Has appeared in films such as Strictly Business, 1991; Let's Talk about Sex, 1998; and Midnight Blue, 2000; actor in television programs, including The Cosby Show, National Broadcasting Corporation, 1989-92; A Raisin in the Sun, (television film), 1989; and General Hospital, American Broadcasting Company, 1994-98; has made numerous television guest appearances; actor in stage productions in Six Degrees of Separation, A Raisin in the Sun, Coriolanus, Dreaming Emmett, and Professor Lombooza Lomboo, 2001; commentator on National Public Radio's The Tavis Smiley Show. Has taught acting workshops at the National Black Theatre Festival, College of William and Mary, California State University Long Beach, Louisiana State University, Delta State College, Canoga Park High School, and The Lutheran School. Board member, California African American Museum, and Republican National Committees African American Advisory Board; member, Red Cross.

MEMBER:

Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Actors Equity Association, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Green Chimneys Foundation, Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles, Alpha Phi Alpha.

WRITINGS:

He Talk Like a White Boy: Reflections of a Conservative Black Man on Faith, Family, Politics, and Authenticity, Running Press Book Publishers (Philadelphia, PA), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Newsweek, Los Angeles Daily News, Essence, Upscale, USA Today, Jewish World Review, Turning Point, College Digest, and Indianapolis Recorder, and to Web site Bet.com. Author of the syndicated weekly column "The Way I See It."

SIDELIGHTS:

Joseph C. Phillips is well known as an actor, having appeared in a variety of films and television shows such as The Cosby Show. He is also an author and journalist, whose writings have appeared in numerous periodicals; his weekly column, "The Way I See It," is nationally syndicated both in print and on the Internet. Phillips writes broadly about politics, religion, law, and the question of race in America, particularly concerning African Americans. His first book, He Talk Like a White Boy: Reflections of a Conservative Black Man on Faith, Family, Politics, and Authenticity, addresses many of these issues in a personal manner. As a well-educated, well-spoken black man living in America, Phillips reflects on what it was like to grow up and be accused of sounding like a white person, and then later, as an adult, to be ac- cused of thinking like a white person. He discusses the idea that speech patterns or ideas can belong to solely one race or another, and addresses the ways in which modern-day politicians and public figures continue to separate values and ideas according to skin tone. Denise Simon, writing for the Black Issues Book Review, found Phillips's tone and sensitivity to be uneven, but noted: "Phillips writes about his personal affairs with warmth, candor, intelligence and good humor and in doing so, he fully engages the reader's interest." In a review for Library Journal, Ann Burns remarked that "Phillips is an excellent and perceptive writer, driving home his points with wit and wisdom."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Black Issues Book Review, May 1, 2006, Denise Simon, review of He Talk Like a White Boy: Reflections on Faith, Family, Politics, and Authenticity, p. 44.

Booklist, May 15, 2006, Vernon Ford, review of He Talk Like a White Boy, p. 10.

California Bookwatch, August 1, 2006, review of He Talk Like a White Boy.

Ebony, June 1, 2006, review of He Talk Like a White Boy, p. 29.

Library Journal, June 1, 2006, Ann Burns, review of He Talk Like a White Boy, p. 139.

Publishers Weekly, March 20, 2006, review of He Talk Like a White Boy, p. 49.