Cleavon Jake Little (June 1, 1939 – October 22, 1992) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Little began his career in the late 1960s on the stage. In 1970, he starred in the Broadway production of Purlie for which he earned both a Drama Desk and a Tony Award. In 1972, Little starred as the irreverent Dr. Jerry Noland on the ABC sitcom Temperatures Rising.