So Howard Rollins Jr.

Mar 20, 2020 0:15:06 GMT hi224 said:

could he have possibly eclipsed or surpassed Denzel had he not had personal issues and died? seemed like he had all the potential.

He had enormous potential.  He got great notices and Oscar nom for Ragtime (1981).  That's years before Denzel broke out.  He certainly looked like he was ready to take the torch from Portier. 

But then it was three more years until A Soldier's Story.  And when he took the role of Virgil Tibbs for TV, he looked paunchy and heading downhill.

I always figured his substance abuse problems had gotten the better of him and derailed what might have been a stellar film career.