Wendell B. Harris, Jr.
Wendell B. Harris, Jr. is an American filmmaker who was trained in drama at the prestigious Interlochen and Juilliard schools. He is the writer, director and lead actor of Chameleon Street, a Gethsemane84, Inc. / Prismatic Images, Inc. film, which won the Grand Jury prize at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival.
Wendell and Prismatic Images went on to produce a remarkable radio series entitled Black Biography, which showcased Black icons from the spheres of art, history and politics. He has appeared as an actor in the films Out of Sight and Road Trip.
Wendell Harris is currently in post-production for the forthcoming documentary, ARBITER ROSWELL. This compelling and rather startling 14-year endeavor chronicles the incestuous and internecine relationship between our minds, our media, and the military-industrial complex. Wendell returned to the 2009 Sundance Film Festival to screen Chameleon Street in the Sundance Collection and is touring as a guest speaker at college and university campuses nationwide. Recently, Wendell and Chameleon Street were lauded at the 2009 Marfa Film Festival – Marfa, TX.
The Films of Wendell B. Harris, Jr.
What is Chameleon Street?
Overflowing with talent and intelligence, Chameleon Street is an offbeat comedy and an overlooked gem. Juilliard graduate Wendell B. Harris Jr. hits a home run the first time out, writing, directing and acting in a sly tale loosely based on the exploits of a real con man, William Douglas Street. Like an African-American Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Street finds life more exciting when he’s assuming a different identity. Functioning as a lawyer, a student and even a surgeon comes easy because Street knows how to adapt himself to the needs of the people he meets, with a polite smile and a proper list of bogus credentials. As he says, quite sincerely, “I think, therefore I scam.”
Arbiter Roswell – Post-Production 2009
Wendell B. Harris, Jr – Hubs on the Web
Wendell B. Harris, Jr on Myspace
