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Duty-bound: My secret life as Officer Clemmons

When Francois Clemmons was a TV star in the 1960s, he made the tough decision to sacrifice his sexuality so that he could continue as a role model for African American children.

Francois Clemmons is a singer and founder of the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble in America, but he became famous as an actor when he played the role of Officer Clemmons in the hit children鈥檚 TV programme 'Mister Rogers Neighborhood'. He joined the show in 1968, and was an important role model for young African American children, but then he had to make a difficult decision. As a gay man he was told that his sexuality was not compatible with his TV role, so he had to choose between his sexuality and his TV career. Although he chose the latter, he was able to be open about his sexuality years later. He tells Jo Fidgen how much the show meant to him over the years and how forming his spiritual ensemble was a dream come true for him.

He's written a book called Officer Clemmons: A Memoir. This interview was first broadcast in 2020

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Jo Fidgen

(Photo: Clemmons with Fred Rogers. Credit: The Fred Rogers Company)

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41 minutes

Last on

Tue 10 Jan 2023 03:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 9 Jan 2023 12:06GMT
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  • Tue 10 Jan 2023 03:06GMT

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