He is perhaps best known for his appearances as "Officer Clemmons" on the PBS television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1968 to 1993. Badminton Player in The Snow People 3. (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood/ Facebook) Francois Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on the classic children’s show Clemmons was a regular on the series from its inception until 1993, and he told He wrote that one day Rogers called him into his office and said: “Franc, you have talents and gifts that set you apart and above the crowd.“Someone has informed us that you were seen at the local gay bar downtown. Now, I want you to know, Franc, that if you’re gay, it doesn’t matter to me at all.“Whatever you say and do is fine with me, but if you’re going to be on the show as an important member of the NeighborhoodHe continued: “I was destroyed. It was the late 1960’s, and as an African-American growing up in the inner-city, he did not see policemen in a positive light.
I had no one to go and be a boy with.“I was just vulnerable. Walking The Beat In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, Where A New Day Began Together For 25 years, Francois Clemmons played Fred Rogers' neighborhood police officer, often lending a … In the real neighborhood, Francois Clemmons is the owner and opreator of the Neighborhood dance/performance studio which is located next door to Mister Rogers' house. The Neighborhood of Make-Believe is the fictional kingdom inhabited by hand puppet characters on the children's television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which originally aired on PBS from 1968–2001, and its predecessor Mister Rogers, which ran from 1963–1966. Officer Clemmons was one of the first recurring roles for an African American on children’s television. He once served as a professor for the Owl Correspondence School teaching a class in Early American Owl History.Francois Clemmons' experience with the Neighborhood operas and plays is quite extensive including the following parts:This site is best viewed using the most current version of Google Chrome. In the midst of the civil rights movement, Mister Rogers and Officer Clemmons made an intentional statement on inclusivity. In contrast to most of the real neighbors who were happy to take on roles that were closely aligned to their interests, François was taken aback when he first learned Fred Rogers wanted him to play a policeman. Friendly Frank in Windstorm in Bubbleland 7. the use of our cookies. Our website uses cookies to improve user experience. He had worked so hard for it. I didn’t have another mother or father to comfort me. In 2008, President Barack Obama was elected. In 2009, the gospel singer and educator Francois Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, received a deluge of letters from black men telling him that his thoughtful, peaceful character had inspired them to become police officers.Clemmons was taken aback by the volume of messages. François S. Clemmons, the black, gay opera singer and actor, played Officer Clemmons, one of the “neighbors” on the show. Francois Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on the classic children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, has claimed that Mister Rogers told him to stay in the closet and marry a woman.. François Scarborough Clemmons (born April 23, 1945) is an American singer, actor, playwright and university lecturer. Francois Clemmons, the actor who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, is opening up about his coming out experience and why Fred Rogers told him to stay in the closet.. At a time when some public pools prohibited African-American swimmers, Mister Rogers invited his friend Officer Clemmons to cool his feet alongside his own in a small wading pool.In addition to his role as Officer Clemmons, François is the proprietor of a music studio where he often gives vocal lessons or sings along with special guests and neighbors.