John Wesley (actor)

John Wesley (August 3, 1947 – September 7, 2019) was an American actor who worked in many television series, including The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, In The Heat of the Night (TV series) and in Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, where he played the role of Principal Pratchert.^[1] He also had roles in many feature films as well as theater productions.

John Wesley
Publicity Photo of John Wesley
Born	(1947-08-03)August 3, 1947 Lake Charles, Louisiana
Died	September 7, 2019(2019-09-07) (aged 72)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1968–2019

He was Mr. Jim on the series Martin for 3 seasons, and was the series regular "Sweets Walker" on Dirty Dancing, the television series. He has also appeared in numerous commercials and voiceovers including "Rafaki". His first main film role was as Franklin in Missing in Action 2: The Beginning starring Chuck Norris but his first credited film role was in the 1968 Clint Eastwood western Hang 'Em High. Wesley was also an award-winning stage actor and a Vietnam veteran.^[1][2][3]

Wesley earned degrees from the University of California, San Diego graduate acting program and the University of San Diego.^[4]

Wesley died on September 7, 2019, from complications of multiple myeloma, five weeks after his 72nd birthday.^[5][4]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1968	Hang 'Em High	Guard #3
1968	Uptight	Larry
1975	Bogard	Ira
1985	Missing in Action 2: The Beginning	Franklin
1985	Perfect	Eddie
1986	Let's Get Harry	Mercenary #4
1987	Nuts	Holding Cell Guard
1988	Moving	Roy Hendersen
1988	Jack's Back	Sam Hilliard
1989	Out Cold	Cop #2
1991	Nothing but Trouble	Sam
1991	Raw Nerve	The Band - New Power
1992	Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot	Tony
1993	Born Yesterday	Sen. Welch
1994	The Little Rascals	Amish Man #2
1998	I Got the Hook Up	Minister
1999	The Wood	Police Officer
2002	13th Child	Jones
2009	The Twenty	George
2010	Beneath the Blue	Doctor
2012	The Undershepherd	Steven Parker
2016	The Midnighters	Chester
2018	Holly Day	Jerry