Alpheus Merchant

Alpheus Merchant was born February 8, 1923, the fourth child of Jesse Merchant, Sr. and Gladys Wilmuth McAlister; brother to Jesse Jr, McAlister Sr., and Sarah Merchant, in Chicago, Illinois. Alpheus served in the Army in World War II, then returned to Chicago. Not long afterward, Al moved to the west coast and entered UCLA, from which he later graduated. While there he met both Tom Bradley who would become a Los Angeles Mayor and Mervyn Dymally, later a Councilman. Alpheus also joined Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Mr Merchant was a high-ranking manager for the gas company, then moved on to work for the Los Angeles Housing Authority in their Public Relations Office. Finally he became administrative assistant to the Medical Director of Kaiser Permanente. Upon retiring, Alpheus began taking acting classes. He appeared first in local theater, then in a few commercials and music videos, then finally on television. He was able to join the Screen Actor's Guild, and landed a bit part in several movies. His most famous role was as the Security Guard in both "Men in Black" and "Men in Black II." Alpheus was an active member of the community, still walking 2 miles a day and receiving calls for small roles when he had a mild stroke, then passed away unexpectedly at the age of 87.