Who is Ralph Carter?
Ralph Carter is a former American television actor as well as a singer, who is probably still most famous for being the child star of the 1970s three-time Golden Globe-nominated TV sitcom series “Good Times”, in which he appeared as Michael Evans.
Early Life
Ralph David Carter was born under the astrological sign of Gemini on the 30 May 1961, in New York City.
Except that he is of American nationality and African American ethnicity, there aren’t any other relevant details regarding his early life, family members or educational background.
Acting and Music Career
Ralph’s acting career began at his age of only nine, when he made his debut appearance on Broadway in the musical stageplay “The Me Nobody Knows” in 1971. This was followed by a streak of appearances in theatrical productions such as “Dude” and “Via Galactica”.
Being recognized as a rising star and honored with the Drama Desk Award as the Most Promising Performer, young Ralph was cast for the role of Travis Younger in the Judd Woldin’s Broadway musical entitled “Raisin”. This performance had earned him another Drama Desk Award in 1973 as well as the Theatre World Award in 1974, which were both eventually followed by a nomination for the prestigious Tony Award later in 1974.
Carter’s critically acclaimed Broadway’s performances caught the eye of the American Oscar-nominated director, producer and writer Norman Lear, who in 1974 cast Ralph for the recurring role of Michael Evans in his television comedy series “Good Times“. A spin-off show of “Maude”, the CBS’ sitcom follows a story of Florida and James Evans, portrayed by Esther Rolle and John Amos respectively, and their three children living in Chicago’s black neighborhood housing project.
Ralph portrayed the character of the couple’s youngest child who, due to his passionate activism earned the nickname ‘the militant midget’. Carter continued his role through the show’s run of six seasons and over 130 episodes, until 1979 when it was eventually cancelled.
After performing several songs from the original soundtrack of “Good Times”, at the age of 15 in 1976, Mercury Records released Carter’s debut studio album entitled “When You’re Young and in Love” – it premiered on the TV program “Soul Train”, after which the album’s single named “Extra Extra (Read All About It)” peaked at No. 12 on the US Billboard’s chart.
In 1985, Carter released a single entitled “Get It Right”.
Carter’s latest on-screen acting engagement occurred in 1987, when he starred in the short ‘rock operetta’ movie “Donny’s House”, while his most recent on-stage appearance dates back to 2005 when he starred in The Classical Theater of Harlem company’s stageplay “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death”.
In 2002 Carter wrote a premise for an episode for the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated TV comedy series “The King of Queens”, while in 2006 he wrote lyrics for the song “Shakin’” that was featured in the comedy movie “The Groomsmen”.
Personal Life
At a Christmas Party in 1982, Carter first met Lisa Parks with whom he shortly after began a relationship.
After almost four years of dating, the couple became engaged in 1986, and married six months later in February 1987. Prior to their separation in 1992, the couple was blessed with two children, sons named Michael and James. Since 1994, Ralph has been married to River York, with whom he’s welcomed two daughters, named Jessica and Vivica and a son called Phoenix.
Net Worth
Have you ever wondered how much wealth this former juvenile acting star has accumulated so far? How rich Ralph Carter is nowadays? Authoritative sources in the field have estimated that, speaking as of mid-2020, the total of his net worth revolves around $1 million, primarily acquired through his previous acting career, as well as his efforts in the music industry.