Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz

• Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz Sentence
• Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz

• Bumpy Johnson was the “Al Capone of Harlem”. He got his nickname from the fact that he had a bumpy ride through the prison system, doing over twenty-five years in prisons such as: Sing-Sing, Attica, Rikers Island, Atlanta and of course Alcatraz.
• One of the world's most notorious and best known prisons, over the years, Alcatraz housed some 1,545 of America's most ruthless criminals including Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the 'Birdman of Alcatraz'), George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Mickey Cohen, Arthur R. 'Doc' Barker, James 'Whitey' Bulger,.

Oscar Winning actor Forest Whitaker transforms himself into Ellsworth Raymond Johnson, otherwise known as Bumpy Johnson, for his leading role in the new series “Godfather of Harlem.”

Mar 7, 2016 - Explore Elizabeth Rudas Pacheco's board 'Bumpy Johnson', followed by 202 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about bumpy johnson, johnson, real gangster.

The show follows the Harlem gangster as he is released from Alcatraz in 1963 after spending more than a decade behind bars.

Johnson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1905, getting the nickname Bumpy from a bump on the back of his head. When Johnson was 10, his older brother, Willie, reportedly was accused of killing a white man.

Afraid of a possible lynch mob and worried about Johnson’s short temper, his parents mortgaged their home to raise money to send Bumpy to Harlem so he could live with relatives.

After moving to New York City, Bumpy eventually came to power working for racket boss Stephanie St. Clair as an enforcer. The pair went to war against several New York crime bosses, including Dutch Schultz.

After Schulz was shot to death, St. Clair laid low and Johnson came into power, ruling Harlem from the 1930s to the 1960s.

He and mob boss Lucky Luciano formed an alliance — Johnson would control Harlem, and Luciano's crew would get a cut of the profits.

Johnson’s reputation was split. He was often referred to as Robin Hood, because he constantly gave to those in need. But while Johnson was notorious for handing out turkeys during the holidays, he was arguably just as renowned for his illegal activities.

'That was interesting to me on a number of levels, because when people are trying to rise up in a community where they feel like they have no options, what are their choices to be able to be successful?” Whitaker told InsideEdition.com.

'I mean he was an entrepreneur, self made boss, a visionary, a leader, and he spoke for many,” rapper Rick Ross told InsideEdition.com at the series' red carpet premiere at New York City’s Apollo Theatre.

Sylvia Rhone, the first black woman to be appointed chairwoman and CEO of a major record label, and current chairwoman and CEO of Epic Records, grew up in Harlem and has fond memories of sneaking out of her home to catch a glimpse of Johnson and his crew.

'I love those guys. I have like a little thing for gangsters,' Rhone laughed. 'I was much younger than they. I used to leave my little high heels in the stairwell in my building put on my flats, go out and I was ready. I'd sit on the barstool like I was cool,' she recalled to InsideEdition.com.

'Bumpy Johnson was a legend. I mean, he cared about...here's the funny thing. Was he a nice guy? Of course. Was he a bad guy? Absolutely. But he had somewhat of a heart for his people,' Chazz Palminteri, who plays Joe Bonanno on the show, told InsideEdition.com.

The series also shines a light on Johnson’s relationships with activists like Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a Baptist pastor who became the first black person from New York elected to congress.

'Bumpy had surrounded Malcolm with bodyguards to protect him for a period of time. Then Malcolm said, 'I can't do that. I can't be connected to you.' And took those guys away about two weeks before he was killed. So that was really a striking thing,' Whitaker said.

Markuann Smith is one of the show's executive producers and has a familial connection to Johnson.

'Bumpy's granddaughter is my godmother. So it took me 18 years to develop this and curate it and just do it the right way,” Smith told InsideEdition.com.

Margaret Johnson, Smith's godmother, passed away in 2016. Smith said he promised her he would see the project all the way through. 'I got 1,000 no's before I got one yes. I tell people you could either chase your pension or your passion. So I decided to chase my passion. And this is where we at right now.”

Smith said this is a story about the American dream.

'It's not a glorification of Bumpy Johnson being a gangster. This is the collision of civil rights and the underworld. It's not just a gangster story. You'll see the movements from the LGBTQ movement, to the Black Lives Matter, to the Me Too movements,” Smith told InsideEdition.com.

“All these movements happened in 1963. So, it's not a black gangster story. It's a story about redemption. It's a story about determination,' he added.

Johnson would only be out of prison for five years before dying in 1968 after suffering a heart attack at a Harlem restaurant. Johnson was 62 years old. At the time, he was under federal indictment on drug conspiracy charges.

His death happened just months after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed in April, which touched off race riots around the country. But as much as race relations have changed since the 1960s, one could argue that they have also stayed the same.

“Not much has changed. Less of the big drug dealer, but a lot of the racism that happened during that time is happening now,” Rhone said.

“That's the bad part about this show is that nothing really has changed since the '60s. The only thing that I wanna get back to is the unity. We had more leaders,” the show’s executive music producer Swizz Beatz told InsideEdition.com. 'Everybody has the potential to be the next great leader. It just comes with taking the risk, being respected, being honorable.”

'Look. Have we come a long way? Yes. Do we still got a long way to go? Yes. I think it's a process. It's a never ending process,” Palminteri said.

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Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz Sentence

This coming Sunday, Bumpy Johnson’s story will come to life via the EPIX network’s “Godfather of Harlem” series, starring Forrest Whitaker in the lead role. Johnson was one of the most feared gangsters of his time who also used his powerful influence for good as well.

Ellsworth Raymond Johnson was born October 31, 1905 in Charleston, S.C. At the age of 10, his older brother Willie was sent North with relatives after he was accused of killing a white man. Johnson was sent to Harlem to live with an older sister after his parents felt that his short temper with white folks could get him harmed.

The real Bumpy Johnson

Johnson, who earned his nickname due to a large bump on his head, fell into crime early, burglarizing and pimping in Harlem. After serving a 10-year prison sentence, Johnson crossed paths with Stephanie St. Clair, better known as Madame Queen, who ran an extensive and independent numbers operation in Harlem. While waging war on the Italian mob, who extorted crime networks across New York, Johnson became Madame Queen’s main enforcer and eventually took over her operation.

Johnson was able to arrange a deal with mob boss Lucky Luciano to keep the peace between his gang and the mob, and also keep the numbers operation independent, though he did have to provide a cut of his profits. Despite Johnson’s violent reputation, he gave back to Harlem’s poor, hosting Thanksgiving giveaways and other acts of charity.

In 1951, Johnson was hit with a 15-year prison sentence for heroin distribution in New York, serving time in Alcatraz. After his release in 1963, Johnson resumed his godfather status, but grew tired constant police surveillance and staged a sit-in protest in prison. He was charged and later acquitted for the disturbance. In 1968, while having a breakfast of fried chicken and eggs, Johnson suffered a heart attack and died.

He was 62.

Bumpy Johnson Alcatraz

PHOTOS: Public Domain, EPIX