Howard Rollins

Born to Ruth and Howard Ellsworth Rollins Sr. on October 17, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland, Rollins was the youngest of four children. His mother was a domestic worker and his father a steelworker who died in 1975. Rollins attended Northern High School, graduating in 1968. After his high school graduation, Rollins studied theatre at Towson University. ==Career==

In 1970, Rollins left college to play the role of Slick Robinson in the PBS soap opera Our Street. In 1974, Rollins moved to New York City, where he appeared in the Broadway productions of We Interrupt This Program... (1975), The Mighty Gents (1978) and G. R. Point (1979). He also appeared in the TV miniseries King and Roots: The Next Generations. After being fired from In the Heat of the Night, Rollins achieved sobriety and worked on rebuilding his career and reputation. In 1995, he appeared in a guest role on New York Undercover, followed by a role in the film Drunks. In 1996 (his last television acting role in his lifetime), he appeared in a guest role on Remember WENN. Rollins's final acting role was in the 1996 television movie Harambee!. ==Personal life==

Legal issues In 1988, Rollins pled guilty to cocaine possession in Louisiana. In 1992 and 1993, Rollins was arrested on three occasions for driving under the influence. In 1994, he served a month in jail for reckless driving and driving under the influence. Because of his legal problems, Rollins was dropped from In the Heat of the Night. After attending drug rehab, he returned to In the Heat of the Night as a guest star. Death and legacy In the fall of 1996, Rollins was diagnosed with AIDS. Six weeks later, on December 8, Rollins died at age 46 at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City from lymphoma-related complications. His funeral was held on December 13 in Baltimore. Rollins was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in his native Baltimore. On October 25, 2006, a wax statue of Rollins was unveiled at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore. The statue is now at Baltimore's National Great Blacks in Wax Museum. ==Filmography==