Clifton Davis, a triple bypass survivor, is an American actor, songwriter, singer, and pastor. Davis starred on the television shows That’s My Mama and Amen. Davis also wrote several hits for The Jackson 5, including “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Lookin’ Through the Windows“.
Davis was born in Chicago and grew up in Mastic, New York. Before finding fame in acting, Davis worked as a songwriter, most famously penning The Jackson 5‘s No. 2 hit “Never Can Say Goodbye“. Davis starred as barber Clifton Curtis in the mid-1970s television show That’s My Mama with Theresa Merritt, Theodore Wilson and Ted Lange. Davis’ romantic interest with songstress and Broadway performer Melba Moore led to his co-starring role on her musical variety television show.
From 1986 to 1991, he co-starred with Sherman Hemsley, as the Reverend Ruben Gregory, in the NBC sitcom Amen, which ran for five seasons. He also played the mayor of Miami in the 1999 film Any Given Sunday. Davis has continued his stage work, starring in Toronto and on Broadway in Aladdin, playing the Sultan of Agrabah.’[3]
Davis holds a BA in Theology from Oakwood University and a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University.[4] . For the last 25 years he has been an active part of Youthville, USA a children’s services organization. He served as co-founder and co-pastor of Welcome Christian Center in Huntington Beach, California. .He has had an interdenominational ministry for over 30 years. He is the emcee and host of The Most Soulful Sound, an annual gospel choir competition in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also hosts an annual celebrity golf tournament in Elizabeth City, NC at Elizabeth City State University, where he served as Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement. Davis is a frequent guest host on Trinity Broadcasting Network. Davis also hosted the Gospel Superfest TV show from 2000 to 2008, which is syndicated by United Television. .
(Davis’ biography is reprinted from Wikipedia)