Ji-Tu Cumbuka was an actor best known for his role as Wrestler on the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots.
Cumbuka appeared on television frequently over the course of his career, including roles on The Six Million Dollar Man, Ironside, Kojak, The Rockford Files, Police Story, Sanford and Son, Falcon Crest, The Dukes of Hazzard, Knight Rider, The A-Team, MacGyver, St. Elsewhere, Matlock, Knots Landing, Walker Texas Ranger and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Additionally, Cumbuka appeared in the films Harlem Nights, Fun with Dick and Jane, Bachelor Party, Brewster’s Millions, Blacula, Bound for Glory, Volunteers and Elvis Presley’s last film, Change of Habit.
In 2012, the 6-foot-5 actor published his memoir, A Giant to Remember.
Cumbuka died July 4, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 77.