Scoey Mitchell, star of ‘Barefoot in the Park’ TV series, dead at 92

Actor Scoey Mitchell, who starred in the 1970 television series adaptation of Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park,” died Saturday in California, his brother said. He was 92.

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Mitchell died of kidney failure at a long-term health care facility in Torrance, his brother, jazz pianist Billy Mitchell, told The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Billy Mitchell wrote, “He sacrificed much in the struggle to get Blacks behind the camera, into production and into positions that are taken for granted today. It’s important to remember those few that opened up the doors for so many.”

Scoey Mitchell had a recurring role from 1974 to 1976 as an employee of a wrecking company on “Rhoda” and played Richard Pryor’s father in the 1986 film, “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Born as Roscoe Mitchell Jr. on March 12, 1930, in Newburgh, New York, he began his career as a stand-up comedian in nightclubs, Variety reported. One of his first jobs was on “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” in 1967, and he also appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Tonight Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show,” the entertainment site reported.

Mitchell had a role on the sketch comedy show “What’s It All About, World?”

In 1970, he was cast as Paul Bratter on “Barefoot in the Park,” a newlywed lawyer who lives in a Manhattan apartment with his wife, Corie, played by Tracy Reed, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series was the first American sitcom since “Amos ‘n’ Andy” in the 1950s to feature a predominantly Black cast, the website reported.

The show lasted 12 episodes before it was canceled, according to IMDb.com.

Mitchell also directed some episodes of the TV series “Me & Mrs. C” and the nurse sitcom “13 East,” Variety reported.

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