DeWayne Jessie (a.k.a. "Otis Day") is an American character actor best known for his portrayal of fictional frontman Otis Day of Otis Day and the Knights in National Lampoon's Animal House. In the movie, the songs "Shama Lama Ding Dong" and "Shout" were sung by Lloyd G. Williams and lip-synched by Jessie.
In the 1980s, Jessie purchased the rights to the band name Otis Day and The Knights from Universal Studios and formed a real-life version of the band with some members of his family and toured the country for years afterward, with Jessie assuming the identity of Otis Day. The group released a concert video, Otis My Man, in 1987 and recorded an album, produced by George Clinton, that came out in 1989 titled Shout which flopped. It included updated versions of "Shout" and "Shama Lama Ding Dong" sung by Jessie.
Jessie and the rest of the band members were initiated as honorary members of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1985. He lives with three of his grandchildren.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Halls of Anger | Lerone Johnson | |
| 1972 | The New Centurions | Mugging Suspect | Uncredited |
| 1974 | The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder | Rodali | |
| 1975 | Darktown Strutters | V.D. | |
| 1976 | Sparkle | Ham | |
| 1976 | The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings | Rainbow, All-Star (bat boy) | |
| 1976 | Car Wash | Lloyd | |
| 1977 | Fun with Dick and Jane | Robber #2 | |
| 1977 | Which Way Is Up? | Sugar | |
| 1977 | Scott Joplin | John The Baptist | TV movie |
| 1978 | Thank God It's Friday | Floyd | |
| 1978 | National Lampoon's Animal House | Otis Day | |
| 1980 | Where the Buffalo Roam | Man #1 | |
| 1980 | Gorp | Sweet Moe | |
| 1983 | The Star Chamber | Stanley Flowers | |
| 1983 | D.C. Cab | Bongo | |
| 1986 | Otis Day and the Knights: Otis My Man! | Documentary | |
| 2007 | Drawn Together | Cameo |
External links