Wednesday, June 11, 2003
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Wednesday, June 11, 2003 |
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Nickelodeon star is now sports standout By MICHAEL BOYLAN
When Ralph Woolfolk walks down the hallways at Our Lady of Mercy High School, his peers see the friendly captain of the football and baseball teams. It was different when he started at the school as a freshman, because a number of people recognized him as Dee Dee Parker, the little brother on the popular Nickelodeon sitcom "My Brother and Me." Woolfolk, now a rising senior, is currently focusing on academics and athletics, but acting is never far from his mind. Woolfolk began his career in front of the cameras at the age of two, appearing in a number of print advertisements. Later he would begin doing voiceover work in ads for McDonald's, Tide and SciTrek. He even did some work for the Olympic Moments campaign during the 1996 Olympics. He has also appeared in "A Christmas Carol" at the Alliance Theatre with Kenny Leon. The highlight of his career, though, was the Nickelodeon sitcom, which was nominated for NAACP Image Awards in 1995 and 1996. Woolfolk auditioned for the role and got it at the age of eight. He lived in Orlando during the filming and had a tutor on the set. The cast would get their lines on Monday and would shoot the episodes on Wednesday and Thursday. It was the stuff that most kids dream about because he was living so close to Universal Studios and other Orlando-based theme parks. "It was like a party every night," said Woolfolk's mother, Margul, who stated that one of Ralph's favorite activities while filming the show was to get slimed. Slime is the green ooze that gets dumped on the heads of Nickelodeon cast members on several shows, as well as on the hundreds of thousands of fans that flock to Nickelodeon studios each year. When asked how it tasted, the soft-spoken Woolfolk responded, "It kind of tastes like candy." After "My Brother and Me," the Woolfolks returned to Atlanta and Ralph began attending Our Lady of Mercy High School. Woolfolk stated that at first he was recognized all over the place, including Six Flags, but that has ebbed over the years. Now he is recognized as one of the school's top athletes. During the fall, Woolfolk quarterbacks for the Bobcats and also plays cornerback and punts for the squad. In the spring, Woolfolk plays center field for the baseball team and catches when the usual catcher pitches. At a recent game against region rival Landmark Christian, Woolfolk hit a two-out double, walked twice, stole three bases and scored a run. Though he is focusing on his studies and his sports, Woolfolk is planning on returning to acting someday and, like most actors, has an interest in one day directing as well. As he nears the end of his junior year, Woolfolk is starting to look at colleges. "I'd like to go to a Division I school, play baseball and get a degree in mass communications," he said. Among the schools he is looking at are Florida State University, the University of Miami and the University of Florida. Woolfolk credits his parents and coaches for keeping him focused and is looking forward to a successful senior year at Our Lady of Mercy. Fans of the football and baseball teams are looking forward to it as well.
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