Ernest Lee Thomas

Ernest Lee Thomas, American actor

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Born: March 26, 1949
Age in 2026: 77
Zodiac sign: Aries
Birth year: 1949

About Ernest Lee Thomas

Ernest Lee Thomas is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Roger "Rog" Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What's Happening!! and its 1980s syndicated sequel, What's Happening Now!!, and for his recurring role as Mr. Omar on Everybody Hates Chris. Thomas auditioned, won the lead role, and filmed the television pilot, which tested poorly. During the first season of What's Happening!!, Thomas was one of the final two actors to be considered for the lead role of Kunta Kinte in the breakthrough miniseries Roots, which eventually went to LeVar Burton.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Ernest Lee Thomas was born

Ernest Lee Thomas was born in 1949. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1949

#1 song"Riders in the Sky" – Vaughn Monroe
Top movieAll the King's Men
Top TV showTexaco Star Theater
Best-selling bookThe Egyptian - Mika Waltari

Headlines and milestones

Major sports momentJoe Louis retires from boxing as undefeated heavyweight champion
Top headlineNATO established
Technology milestoneFirst stored-program computer runs its first program
Defining fadSilly Putty
Notable inventionSilly Putty
World population2.52 billion

United States snapshot

U.S. leaderHarry S. Truman
Sports championNew York Yankees (World Series)
Also wonMinneapolis Lakers (BAA)
U.S. population149.2M

1949 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Ernest Lee Thomas's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure	1949	2026
Gas	$0.27	$3.45/gal
Average home	$8,400	$435,000
Average income	$5,000	$67,500
Minimum wage	$0.40	$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket	$0.46	$11.95
Postage stamp	$0.03	$0.73
Population	149.2M	341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.