Robert Earl Sawyer

Robert Earl Sawyer died November 11, 1994, in Oakland, California. He is buried on the Hayward Graveyard in Oakland.

Melody Malmberg wrote in "The Outsiders" in The Weekly, Altadena, in 1984: Despite the appearance of progress, black artists still find that the entertainment industry is a private club. Here's why. Six people sat in the Lake Avenue Studio of the Federation for the Advancement of Minority Artists (FAMA) on a recent morning. The talk turned to their professional life. Joe Montell, executive director of FAMA, acted as host. The guests were: Josephine Toussaint, Don Davis, Joseph Taylor, Robert Earl Sawyer and Marlene Labat. Quotations by Robert E. Sawyer:

From 1980 until his death in 1994, Sawyer had his own production company called RES (Robert Earl Sawyer) Productions. Sawyer wrote, produced and directed the first black television soap opera Rainbow Street, in 1989. It aired in Atlanta, GA, Pasadena, CA, Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV, in 1989.

Of The Breadwinner, Stephan Miller wrote in Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1971:

He was married to Mamie Lucille Donaldson from 1943 until 1950. They had two children: Errol Sawyer (b. August 8, 1943), photographer, and Wanda Louise Sawyer (b. January 11, 1945 - d. 1984). From 1957 until 1974 Sawyer lived together with actress Martha Louise Davis. They had three children: Robert Alexander Sawyer (b. April 19, 1962), novelist; Kevin DéRoi Sawyer (b. September 28, 1963); Mia Monét Sawyer (b. January 7, 1965). From 1975 until 1986 Sawyer lived and worked together with actress Marlene Labat.

Robert Earl Sawyer (June 5, 1923 – November 11, 1994) was an American playwright, director and actor.