Petey Greene

About

Remembered for his groundbreaking television show Petey Greene's Washington, which received two Emmy Awards and aired on Washington, D.C.'s WDCA-20 channel during the late 1970s and early 1980s, this popular television personality began his broadcast career as the presenter of a radio program called Rapping With Petey Greene.

Before Fame

After attending only one year of high school classes, he joined the United States Army and fought in the Korean War. Before becoming a radio and TV host, he fought drug addiction and served a prison sentence for armed robbery.

Trivia

He was a prison reform and civil rights activist off-air, and his popular television program often addressed issues such as drug abuse, poverty, and racism.

Family Life

When he died of liver cancer in his early fifties, he left behind his wife Judy and his children Melanie, Renee, Ralph Waldo III ("Pine"), and Petra.

Associated With

He was portrayed by actor Don Cheadle in a 2007 biopic titled Talk To Me.