Born Bert Cooper on October 18, 1934, in Nassau, Bahamas, Calvin Lockhart was raised in a large family before moving to New York in his late teens to pursue a career in civil engineering.
He attended the Cooper Union School of Engineering, but dropped out after a year to pursue an acting career, working various odd jobs including carpentry and construction work.
Lockhart studied with legendary coach Uta Hagen and later hit the New York theater boards, where he was discovered by playwright Ketti Frings while working as a taxidriver.
He gained interest via controversy on Broadway in the racially-themed "A Taste of Honey" starring Angela Lansbury, playing a sailor in love with a white girl.
Serious film and TV roles for black actors were scarce at that time, so Lockhart moved to Europe, owning a restaurant and forming his own theater company in Italy, serving as both actor and director.
He lived in Germany and England, building up film credits with minor work in British movies such as "A Dandy in Aspic" and "Only When I Larf".
Returning to the US with a stronger resume, he made a distinct early impression as a slick preacher in "Cotton Comes to Harlem" and as an English teacher in "Halls of Anger".
He also involved himself in black action features such as "Melinda", "Honeybaby, Honeybaby", and "The Baron", and was cast by Sidney Poitier in his broad comedy vehicles "Uptown Saturday Night" and "Let's Do It Again".
Lockhart could also play fey upon request, camping it up briefly in "Myra Breckinridge".
During this rich period, he became an artist-in-residence with the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford, the first black actor so honored, and appeared prestigiously in such productions as "Titus Andronicus".
Calvin's career grew lackluster, however, by the end of the decade, resorting to trivial guest parts in TV shows such as "Good Times" and "Get Christie Love!".
He landed a recurring role on the nighttime soap "Dynasty" in the early '80s.
In 1974, Lockhart married a woman from the West Indies and had three children. After his career subsided, he decided to return to his homeland in the mid '90s and resettled in Nassau with his fourth wife, Jennifer Miles.
There he involved himself with the Freeport Players Guild as a director and returned to films after a 15-year absence, completing "Rain" (2008) shortly before he suffered a major stroke.
Calvin died of complications on March 29, 2007, and his family is in the process of establishing a scholarship fund in his name for Bahamian students pursuing an acting or filmmaking career.
