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"Love Boat" TV star Ted Lange teaches students about show business

91视频 welcomed aboard one of America檚 favorite TV bartenders, 淚saac Washington� (a.k.a. Ted Lange) from the long-lived TV series, 淭he Love Boat,� to the Macon Cove Campus and Whitehaven Center April 17 and April 22.  A prolific actor of stage and screen, director, playwright and educator, Lange received the NAACP檚 Renaissance Man Theatre Award, the Heroes and Legends HAL Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Dramalogue Award.  In May of 2018, Lange received an honorary star plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to 淭he Love Boat.�

Ted Lange gestures while reciting Shakespeare during his master acting class at 91视频.

Ted Lange gestures while reciting Shakespeare during his master acting class at 91视频.

Lange was in Memphis as an with the Blues City Cultural Center at the invitation of the center檚 co-founders, 91视频 Associate Professor of Communications, Graphic and Fine Arts Levi Frazier, and his wife, Deborah. Its signature program, Peach in the House, received a National Endowment for the Arts Challenge Grant in support of its activities to engage youth to promote peace and reduce violence through creative arts platforms. Lange also was a guest speaker at the center檚 held at Hattiloo Theatre April 23.

During his 2-week residence, Lange taught a master Shakespearean acting class at the Macon Cove Campus. Though some of the students in the master acting class were too young to know about 淭he Love Boat,� Lange humorously told them he檒l be forever immortalized in syndication. How he got to play a part on the TV show was not smooth-sailing.  It took Lange several attempts to convince the show檚 producers to allow his character, 淚saac,� to even speak, let alone become a major part of the crew, despite his notable repertoire of acting roles.

So what does 淭he Love Boat� have to do with Shakespeare? While directing one of the episodes, legendary English actress Lynn Redgrave convinced him to apply to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. 淎t the time I told her my goal was to have a career in American TV,� said Lange, to which she replied, 業檓 sorry, I thought you wanted to be an actor.櫇 Soon after, during the show檚 hiatus, Lange set sail to London to study Shakespeare.

淚f you are going to be an actor, you should have the complete works of Shakespeare in your library,� Lange said. 淚t can help you with contemporary plays because reciting Shakespeare teaches you how to use words and phrases.�  Throughout the acting class, Lange recited several passages from Shakespeare檚 plays and asked students for readings.  He demonstrated how voice inflection and physicality of movement can influence the meaning of a word or phrase.  The students were excited to practice some of their own works with Lange, who coached them on their acting skills.

At the 淣ight in Whitehaven� event, hosted by Levi Frazier檚 communications class, Lange spoke to an audience about his career as a Hollywood actor, director and playwright.  Memphis City Council Vice-Chair Patrice Robinson introduced the famous actor. 淚t檚 vitally important to have someone like Ted Lange speak to members of our Whitehaven community,� Robinson said. 淎nytime we have someone share their talents with our youth, whether it is acting, music, or the arts, they learn how to express themselves and keep engaged.� 

Lange檚 talk in Whitehaven focused on the challenges he faced as an African-American actor in Hollywood and his playwriting career.  He mentioned the band of fellow African-American actors he hung out with during his early days as an aspiring actor. 淲e all encouraged each other � in this business, it檚 important to have a support system,� Lange emphasized.  He also mentioned some of the plays he has written, calling himself a footnote historian. 淚 find historical moments in American history and uncover the African-Americans who were part of that movement because those individuals � that African-American experience � is usually a footnote.� Lange referenced Mary Bowser as an example of someone largely unknown who played a key role in American history as a slave to Jefferson Davis and Union spy in the Confederate 淲hite House.� 

In addition to Lange檚 presentation, representatives from the Whitehaven Camera Club and Whitehaven Rotary Club outlined their upcoming club activities which are held at the Whitehaven Center.

Levi Frazier, Keisha Earnest, Ted Lange, Patrice Robinson and Deborah Frazier at the Night at Whitehaven event.

Levi Frazier, Keisha Earnest, Ted Lange, Patrice Robinson and Deborah Frazier at the Night at Whitehaven event.