- published: 31 Jan 2016
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(born Bert Cooper; October 18, 1934 – March 29, 2007) was a Bahamian-American actor on stage and in film. He was best known for the role of a big-time gangster "Biggie Smalls" in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again, not to be confused with the deceased rapper Biggie Smalls. Christopher Wallace took the alias from Lockhart's character before a lawsuit forced Wallace to change it to Notorious B.I.G. Lockhart was survived by his wife Jennifer L. Miles and sons Leslie Cooper (deceased 2009) and Julien Miles.
Lockart was born in Nassau, Bahamas, moving to New York City when he was 18. He spent one year at the Cooper Union School of Engineering, then left to pursue an acting career. He drove a taxi and operated a carpentry business in the borough of Queens while trying to establish a career as an actor.
In 1960 he made his Broadway debut, playing a gang leader in The Cool World, which closed after just two performances. He then travelled to Italy and formed his own theater company in which he both acted and directed, before moving to West Germany and then England, where he landed various roles on British television and small roles in films such as A Dandy in Aspic and Salt and Pepper.