Cleavon Little, Actor: Blazing Saddles. Versatile, charismatic African-American actor Cleavon Little was born on June 1, 1939, in Oklahoma but grew up in California and attended San Diego College. He earned a scholarship to Juilliard and moved to New York, then trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Art and was soon appearing off-Broadway. Classically trained ("Hamlet" "A Midsummer Night's Dream"), he won the Tony award for a less...