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Actor David McKnight, best known for his lead role in the 1976 blaxploitation horror movie J.D.’s Revenge, as well as brief parts in TV hits such as The Commish and Boston Legal, has died. He was 87. According to his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby, per The Hollywood Reporter, McKnight passed away on Sunday (December 3) in Las Vegas, Nevada, after a battle with cancer. Born on July 2, 1936, in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, McKnight served in the U.S. Army and worked as a police officer before he began his acting career. One of his first on-screen roles came in 1970 when he starred on Wttw Chicago’s Birds of the Iron Feather, the first all-Black TV soap opera. His career took off from there, appearing in films such as The Candidate (1972) and Lifeguard (1976) before landing the lead role of J.D. Walker in Arthur Marks’ cult favorite J.D.’s Revenge in 1976. Throughout the 1980s, McKnight featured in various TV series,...

David McKnight, whose film resume included starring as the lead in the blaxploitation horror movie J.D.’s Revenge, as well as Robert Townsend’s Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats, died Sunday at age 87.

McKnight passed from cancer in Las Vegas, according to reports.

The actor was a TV staple in various character roles, appearing on Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson, among other shows.

In J.D.’s Revenge (1976), McKnight played a deceased New Orleans hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.

McKnight was hired to play Uncle Ray in Townsend’s The Hollywood Shuffle, playing a singer turned barber who encourages Townsend’s Bobby Taylor to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.

McKnight went on to portray Pastor Stone in the Townsend-directed The Five Heartbeats (1991) and was the...

David McKnight, who portrayed the title character in the cult blaxploitation horror classic J.D.’s Revenge and appeared in Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heartbeats for Robert Townsend, has died. He was 87.

McKnight died Sunday of cancer in Las Vegas, his friend and publicist Cynthia Busby told The Hollywood Reporter.

McKnight also showed up on dozens of TV shows, from Kojak, Hill Street Blues, The Incredible Hulk, Dynasty and Benson to Moonlighting, 227, Roc, L.A. Law and The District.

In the New Orleans-set J.D.’s Revenge (1976), directed by Arthur Marks, McKnight played a deceased hustler who takes over the body of a college student (Glynn Turman) and goes after the man who murdered him and his sister 30 years earlier.

In a 2018 interview, McKnight said that he first met Townsend when the first-time feature filmmaker was putting together Hollywood Shuffle (1987) and offered him advice.

He was then hired to play Uncle Ray,...

The Power of Zero Show, an independent money podcast hosted by David McKnight, the best-selling author of “The Power of Zero,” has officially crossed the impressive threshold of a million downloads and a million views on YouTube. This remarkable achievement highlights the growing influence and reach of the podcast in the financial world.

In an era where podcasts come and go, “The Power of Zero Show” has not only persisted but thrived, this independent show has carved out a unique niche by providing insightful, trustworthy financial advice and strategies. David McKnight’s expertise and engaging delivery have made the podcast a go-to resource for listeners seeking practical and innovative financial solutions.

David McKnight has shared his excitement and gratitude in a special video message, discussing the journey of the podcast and its impact on listeners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLdfLAmmAIg

Reflecting on the podcast’s success, David McKnight said,...

On the JoBlo Movies YouTube channel, we will be posting one full movie every day of the week, giving viewers the chance to watch them entirely free of charge. The Free Movie of the Day we have for you today is the 2019 Western action movie Death and Compromise, and you can watch it over on the YouTube channel linked above, or you can just watch it in the embed at the top of this article.

Directed by Brian Elder, who also crafted the script with John Hall, Jeremiah Olzman, and Josh Hatfield, Death and Compromise has the following synopsis: The price is high for two Texan outlaws whose run-in with a corrupt deputy gets them framed for murder as they become targets of a sheriff’s wrath.

The film stars Michael J. Rodriguez, Andrea Flowers, Jennifer Kendall, William Instone, Bill Foster, Hunter Gustafson, Robert T. McDorman, Chris J. Knight, Chad Thackston,...

Variety has exclusively learned that Urban Movie Channel has set the new multi-generational family drama “A House Divided” for a summer 2019 premiere.

The series follows the direct descendants of Letty Sanders, who was enslaved in the 1800s and later became the wealthiest black woman in Los Angeles. The show centers on present-day members of the Sanders family, whose legacy is being threatened by the passing of its matriarch, a government investigation, and newly discovered secrets.

Currently in the beginning stages of production, the new series will star Demetria McKinney (Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne”), Paula Jai Parker (“Ray Donovan”), Lawrence Hilton Jacobs (“The Jacksons: An American Dream”), Brad James (“Superstition”), David McKnight (“Hollywood Shuffle”), Taja V. Simpson (Fox’s “Lethal Weapon”), and Art Evans (“Die Hard 2”).

“A House Divided” comes from Dan Garcia, the creator of Umc’s series “Bronx Siu.”

“A thrilling tale of scandal and secrecy...

Review by Roger Carpenter

Though there were a couple of films in 1970, the blaxploitation subgenre really hit its stride in 1971 with the release of two seminal films: Sweet Sweetback’s Badassssss Song and Shaft. The next few years saw a steady increase in these types of films but by 1976 there was a marked decrease in Blaxploitation films and the subgenre was all but dead by 1979.

One of the interesting things that came out of this subgenre was an even smaller subset of blaxploitation films which also fell within the horror genre. Some of these are minor classics like Blacula, its sequel Scream, Blacula, Scream, and the Exorcist takeoff, Abby. Some are known more because of how bad they are, such as Blackenstein. And then you have 1976’s J.D.’s Revenge which, if not a minor classic, may be best described as an overlooked gem.

Arthur Marks, director of Linda...

By Matt Singer

By this point, we're all familiar with "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" and "Superfly" and "Shaft," we know all about Pam Greer and Fred Williamson and Jim Brown. But the 1970s produced dozens and dozens of blaxploitation films beyond the handful that have come to stand-in for the entire genre. Many were formulaic, some were downright terrible, but a lot were a cut above. These four uniquely superb blaxploitation films, largely forgotten to history, deserve rediscovery by new audiences and fresh eyes.

"Across 110th Street" (1972)

Directed by Barry Shear

Some 30 years before the groundbreaking crime series "The Wire," an unassuming blaxploitation picture covered similar territory with much the same complexity, albeit on a much smaller scale and with significantly fewer critical accolades. Both were shot in real locations with local actors; both draw parallels between the structure and politics of the underworld and the police force. Often in "Across 110th Street,...