Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Angela Robinson Witherspoon on pursuing a career in the arts.
Tune in to the full episode.
Eric's Perspective | Episode #43 feat. Angela Robinson Witherspoon
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In this episode, Eric sits down with actress, filmmaker & artist Angela Robinson Witherspoon. They discuss her early exposure to art and her experience of living in the Netherlands as young girl. How she followed her heart to live a life in the arts. Studying art, taking jobs where she used her artistic abilities, being a model in New York City, to studying acting. How she broke into the entertainment industry and has since cultivated such a long-lasting career as an actress in Hollywood! She reflects on her beautiful marriage to the late celebrated comedian John Witherspoon and the life they built together… including their two talented sons, their art collection, owning an art gallery and being patrons of the arts. How she continues to make art herself and has evolved into a filmmaker. They discuss her full-length documentary about artist Betye Saar and her passion to make more films that shed light on African American artists. Her exciting travels, philanthropic initiatives and mission of continuing to honor John Witherspoon’s legacy through their foundation..!
Guest Bio: Angela Robinson Witherspoon started her acting journey when she was cast in her first speaking role opposite Eddie Murphy in "48 Hours," by producer Joel Silver. Walter Hill was the director and he subsequently cast Angela in another movie, "Crossroads", opposite Ralph Macchio. In 1983, she traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico where she spent five weeks filming "Jungle Warriors" for German director, Ernst R. Von Theumer. She did all her own stunts and had the pleasure of working with Dennis Hopper and firing an AK-47.
In 1985, she traveled to the Cannes Film Festival and had dinner with director Howard Avedis, who later cast her in "Kidnapped," a Warner Bros. film starring David Naughton, where she would meet her future husband, John Witherspoon. Angela continued to work in film and television in "Ugly Betty", "Joan of Arcadia", "Soul Plane", "The Wayans Bros.", "L.A. Law", "Criminal Minds," "My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Black Jesus," and a starring role in "The Moment After."
She later married legendary comedic actor John Witherspoon on June 27, 1988 and they had two children together. Her husband passed away on October 29, 2019, aged 77.
In 2013, she directed her first short film, "Last Call". Soon after, she produced and directed a short documentary on artist Betye Saar. She then wrote and directed the short silent film "Sunset & Neverland." She also produced and directed "Wish Me Luck." Angela's first documentary was well received in 2017. She looks forward to releasing a full-length documentary about artist Betye Saar, which she is producing and directing. She is currently working with young talent such as Juhahn Jones, Maia Modeste and director Abdul Malik Abbott.
Angela is a dynamic force and devoted patron of the arts and avid supporter of artists through The Angela and John Witherspoon Family Foundation; whose mission is to help artists in their time of need.
Angela Robinson Witherspoon on pursuing a career in the arts.
Tune in to the full episode.
Eric's Perspective | Episode #43 feat. Angela Robinson Witherspoon
For more, visit ericsperspective.com
LISTEN ON:
Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2B6wB3U
Spotify: spoti.fi/3j6QRmW
Audible: adbl.co/313SgGp
iHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/2KtYGXv
Luminary: bit.ly/3Lw9aBw
Pandora: pdora.co/38pFWAm
Connect with us:
Facebook: bit.ly/3jq5fXP
Instagram: bit.ly/39jFZxG
X: bit.ly/2OMRx33
TikTok: bit.ly/4cv8zfg
In this episode, Eric sits down with actress, filmmaker & artist Angela Robinson Witherspoon. They discuss her early exposure to art and her experience of living in the Netherlands as young girl. How she followed her heart to live a life in the arts. Studying art, taking jobs where she used her artistic abilities, being a model in New York City, to studying acting. How she broke into the entertainment industry and has since cultivated such a long-lasting career as an actress in Hollywood! She reflects on her beautiful marriage to the late celebrated comedian John Witherspoon and the life they built together… including their two talented sons, their art collection, owning an art gallery and being patrons of the arts. How she continues to make art herself and has evolved into a filmmaker. They discuss her full-length documentary about artist Betye Saar and her passion to make more films that shed light on African American artists. Her exciting travels, philanthropic initiatives and mission of continuing to honor John Witherspoon’s legacy through their foundation..!
Guest Bio: Angela Robinson Witherspoon started her acting journey when she was cast in her first speaking role opposite Eddie Murphy in "48 Hours," by producer Joel Silver. Walter Hill was the director and he subsequently cast Angela in another movie, "Crossroads", opposite Ralph Macchio. In 1983, she traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico where she spent five weeks filming "Jungle Warriors" for German director, Ernst R. Von Theumer. She did all her own stunts and had the pleasure of working with Dennis Hopper and firing an AK-47.
In 1985, she traveled to the Cannes Film Festival and had dinner with director Howard Avedis, who later cast her in "Kidnapped," a Warner Bros. film starring David Naughton, where she would meet her future husband, John Witherspoon. Angela continued to work in film and television in "Ugly Betty", "Joan of Arcadia", "Soul Plane", "The Wayans Bros.", "L.A. Law", "Criminal Minds," "My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," "Black Jesus," and a starring role in "The Moment After."
She later married legendary comedic actor John Witherspoon on June 27, 1988 and they had two children together. Her husband passed away on October 29, 2019, aged 77.
In 2013, she directed her first short film, "Last Call". Soon after, she produced and directed a short documentary on artist Betye Saar. She then wrote and directed the short silent film "Sunset & Neverland." She also produced and directed "Wish Me Luck." Angela's first documentary was well received in 2017. She looks forward to releasing a full-length documentary about artist Betye Saar, which she is producing and directing. She is currently working with young talent such as Juhahn Jones, Maia Modeste and director Abdul Malik Abbott.
Angela is a dynamic force and devoted patron of the arts and avid supporter of artists through The Angela and John Witherspoon Family Foundation; whose mission is to help artists in their time of need.







![Chaz Bojórquez: The Godfather of Graffiti
In this episode, Eric sits down with the talented artist Aiseborn at the Museum of African American Art at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles. They discuss how he first began making art that included drawing from comic books, magazines, tv shows and super hero characters to eventually developing into an exhibiting. The various media he uses and his special affinity for graffiti and artists that have influenced him. Graffiti as an art form, the role of letter writing throughout history, the art of mural making and how murals throughout Los Angeles are like landmarks. The many murals he has created and his dear friend and collaborator — the legendary late Noni Olabisi… thinking about the art that artists make; as marking time periods in history and leaving something behind. They reflect on what it means to be a “black artist” and “making black art” and his desire of wanting to be seen firstly and foremost as an artist — beyond the color of his skin. They discuss the remarkable, almost ’magical’ process of the act of making art and his fabulous solo exhibition on display entitled “From the HeArt”, including various pieces, his artistic process, technique, where he drew inspiration from and the messages he intended to communicate through this body of work.
Guest Bio: Aiseborn [Ace-born] developed as illustrator, graffiti writer, and fine painter in Los Angeles. His work defies physical boundaries, illuminating the essence of One. Known for his murals, which often include aerosol portraits, adorned with his classic one brush stroke techniques, he creates geometric illusions that propagate at rhythms intrinsic to nature. Captivating enough to stand alone, his circular framework, replicates the ingenuity of world symbols such as the Adinkranhene, Mandala, Flower-of-Life, Dream Catcher, etc. Through study and practice, he demonstrates the fluid movements of an organism, capturing the morphological process of plant life and the emotional appearance of physiological expressions from the human subject. Foresight with design is fueled by observing the order in which organisms naturally grow while his portraits employ the human form with enriched motifs that radiate the essence of One.
He has installed several murals throughout the Greater Los Angeles including on city streets, in backyards, parking lots, gardens, schools, on root tops, brick walls, sheds, furniture, instruments, bicycles, schools and more. He has contributed to productions at the William Grant Still Arts Center in Los Angeles, the “Life is Beautiful” Festival (2015) in Las Vegas, Nevada and the “Manifest Justice” Exhibit during 2015 in Los Angeles. He has designed murals for community service events with LA Works. His work has been featured at the El Segundo Museum of Art with the Getty Museum in 2014, the A+D Architecture and Design Museum in 2016, and the California African American Museum in 2016. He debuted his first solo show Worth the Weight during Fall 2016 at the Container Yard in Downtown Los Angeles.
About Erics Perspective: A podcast series on African American art with Eric Hanks. Eric Hanks — African American art specialist, owner of the renowned M. Hanks Gallery; offers his perspective on African American art through in-depth conversations with fellow art enthusiasts where they discuss the past, present & future of African American art.
For more, visit www.ericsperspective.com
#ERICSPERSPECTIVE #AFRICANAMERICAN #ART
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Twitter: https://bit.ly/2OMRx33 Chaz Bojórquez: The Godfather of Graffiti](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nZQzp2AXqwA/mqdefault.jpg)


