Webhoward rollins, an actor who was nominated for an academy award in 1981 for his work in the film ''ragtime'' and was written out of the hit television series ''in. Bill gillespie, his partner in tibbs' hometown of sparta, mississippi. Webthe tv adaptation of in the heat of the night starring carroll o’connor and howard rollins celebrated its 30 th anniversary in 2018. But did you know that the story of chief. Webdecember 10, 1996 at 12:00 a. m. Webrollins, who had a history of drug and alcohol abuse problems, had appeared opposite o’connor as virgil tibbs, a black detective from philadelphia.
