Willard Pugh is an Actor who began acting at age five and has appeared in over 30 films, numerous television shows, and commercials. He is best known for his roles in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple alongside Oprah Winfrey, RoboCop 2, Air Force One with Harrison Ford, and The Hills Have Eyes 2. His role as Harpo in The Color Purple was a breakout role for Pugh, setting the stage for an extraordinary career in Hollywood. Pugh honors Jeff Burr and Kevin Myer for genuinely being a catalyst to his film career. The pair cast him in the film Divided We Fall while enrolled as students at USC Film School, and the short film school project turned into a multi-award-winning film. Although USC kicked the students out of school because of the film, the film traveled the globe, award after award, and launched the duo’s careers in Hollywood. USC would later invite the two back to the campus to honor them for their work in Hollywood.
From Film To Television, Willard Pugh Reigns Supreme
Pugh was recognized for his work on the big screen and has been seen on many popular television over the past 40 years, including Hill St. Blues, as Martin Lawrence’s country cousin on The Martin Show, TJ Hooker, Trapper Jon M.D., The Atlanta Child Murders, Hunter, The Twilight Zone, The Fall Guy, 227, FAME, Beauty & the Beast, NTPD Blue, Touched By an Angel, and Medium, to name a few. You will find Pugh on screen in one of five shows if you tune into any television show or film over the last three decades. He has done countless national Commercials in theatres, TV, and on the internet, including Progresso Soup High Fiber, FedX office, Best Boss spot in 2010, Bridgestone Tire—Target in 2011, and Samsung Super Bowl in 2012.
A Wise Man Like Willard Pugh, Teaches
Mr. Pugh sought a Master’s Degree in Film and realized the instructors failed to stay current with the realities of Hollywood. As such, he went back to work on the film RoboCop 2. Pugh continued to teach world film history, American film history, and video production at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga for eleven years. Mr. Pugh has also served as a probation officer. He shares that he continued to increase his education or gain work outside the entertainment industry in between work. As a probation officer, he often saw many of his Hollywood compadres and gave them the best advice he could – “admit what you did because they already have a dossier on you and the reason you’re here.”
A Body of Excellence in Willard Pugh
Mr. Pugh has been active in numerous youth programs, such as Hillsboro School of Excellence in Dade County, Florida, Childhelp U.S.A, Americorp, Echoes of Truth for the Memphis City Schools, after-school programs for the City of Pasadena, and most recently, OneWay Outreach and Giving Back INC., which raises money for inner-city youth who want to attend college.
Mr. Pugh’s hobbies are motorcycles, fitness, photography, and video production.
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