#6: Al Swearengen, Deadwood
Born: July 8, 1845
Died: According to
his rediscovered obituary, Swearengen was found dead in the middle of a
suburban Denver street on November 15, 1904. He apparently died of a massive
head wound and was not hopping a freight train as is often reported.
If HBO had created Deadwood from the perspective of one of
the women who worked in the Gem Saloon, this guy would automatically be a top-5
villain of all-time. Instead, Al Swearengen is the star of the show.
Subsequently, viewers forgive his murders, corruption, and unbending brutality
toward the prostitutes he employs. He does show some humanity at times, and he
brings a sinister charm to mix with his wit and charisma when dealing with
people.
#5: Archie Bunker, All in the Family
Born: May 20, 1924
Died: June 21, 2001
In January 1971, a new sitcom called All in the Family
appeared on CBS television. Its central figure was Archie Bunker, a white, working-class,
World War II veteran from the Astoria section of Queens. The show’s humor
derived from Bunker’s poorly articulated bigotry and resentment against the
social changes of the 1960s—feminism, the counterculture, youth and antiwar
activism, legalized abortion, expanded roles for minorities, open
homosexuality—and his confrontations with those new forces in his own family
and neighborhood. The sitcom was one of the first to deal openly with such
controversial topics, and it struck such a chord with American viewers that it
was the number-one rated show for the first five of its eight years on the air.
#4: Heahtcliff Huxtable, The Cosby Show
Born: October 1937
Where he is now: More than likely retired and enjoying time
with grandkids, and probably a great-grandkid or two
Not even two decades following passage of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, Bill Cosby and NBC did something
Martin Luther King would have certainly smiled about. Leading an all-African
American cast, he was repeatedly invited into millions of White America’s
living rooms via the screen. Sure, Heathcliff Huxtable was funny, but week
after week his character subtly delivered key educational truths the American
public needed to understand.
Most defining moment: Countless moments in various episodes
where Cliff would show his unwavering involvement and support in his children’s
academic lives.
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