<P> The miniseries was a ratings success with 45 million viewers in total watching the two - part series; the first half alone averaged a 15 rating / 23 share in Nielsen ratings . Arkush won a 1999 Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie . The miniseries has been subsequently rerun on the VH - 1 cable television network and released to VHS and DVD . The VHS release notably omitted a few scenes which had previously aired on the television premiere . One such scene includes David Ruffin, clearly under the influence of drugs and his ego, becoming belligerent during a picnic celebration with the other members of the group . The removal of this scene is possibly due to the ensuing suit . </P> <P> Otis Williams' ex-wife Josephine Miles, Melvin Franklin's mother Rose Franklin, Johnnie Mae Matthews, and on David Ruffin's behalf, the Ruffin family, filed suit against Williams, Shelly Berger, David V. Picker, Motown, De Passe Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, and NBC for use of their likenesses in the film, defamation of character, and emotional distress because of the inaccurate depictions of events . They also alleged that the miniseries misportrayed them and / or their relatives and twisted facts . The judges ruled in favor of the defendants, and the ruling was upheld when the plaintiffs appealed in 2001 . Otis Williams later claimed that while his book was the source material for the film, he did not have a great deal of control over how the material was presented . </P> <Ul> <Li> Charles Malik Whitfield as Otis Williams, founder and leader of Otis Williams & the Distants and later The Temptations . He conflicts with some of his group mates, particularly David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, over group leadership . Otis Williams is the only original member of The Temptations who is still living, and still performs with the group . <Ul> <Li> Tina Lifford as Hazel, Otis' mother . </Li> <Li> Harold Surratt as Edgar, Otis' stepfather . </Li> <Li> Gina Ravera as Josephine (née Rogers), Otis' wife during the 1960s and the mother of their son Lamont . </Li> <Li> Stevland Parks as Lamont, Otis and Josephine's son (portrayed at age 12) </Li> <Li> Chrystal Bates as Mrs. Rogers, Josephine's mother . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> D.B. Woodside as Melvin "Blue" Franklin, Otis' best friend, and a member of both Otis Williams & the Distants and The Temptations for over four decades . Shy and soft - spoken, he secretly struggles with arthritis over the years . Outside of founding member Otis Williams, Franklin was the only member of the Temptations who did not quit the group or be fired during his tenure; Franklin died in 1995 . <Ul> <Li> Jenifer Lewis as "Mama Rose," Melvin's mother . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Terron Brooks as Eddie "Cornbread" Kendricks, a member of The Primes and The Temptations' original first tenor / falsetto and co-lead singer . After quitting the group in 1971, Eddie becomes a solo singer and later joins forces with fellow ex-Temptation David Ruffin . Kendricks died of lung cancer in 1992 (this event is not portrayed in the miniseries, but is referenced near the end of Part Two). </Li> <Li> Christian Payton as Paul Williams, a member of The Primes and the Temptations' original lead singer, who succumbs to alcoholism and poor health, forcing his retirement from the act in 1971 . <Ul> <Li> Rhonda Ross Kendrick as Maxine, Paul's wife </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Leon as David Ruffin, The Temptations' lead singer from 1964 to 1968, whose ego leads the others to force him out of the group . Ruffin died of a drug overdose in 1991 . <Ul> <Li> Lamman Rucker as Jimmy Ruffin, David's older brother and a Motown performer . </Li> <Li> Nyjah Moore as Tammi Terrell, David's girlfriend and a Motown performer . </Li> </Ul> </Li> </Ul> <Li> Charles Malik Whitfield as Otis Williams, founder and leader of Otis Williams & the Distants and later The Temptations . He conflicts with some of his group mates, particularly David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, over group leadership . Otis Williams is the only original member of The Temptations who is still living, and still performs with the group . <Ul> <Li> Tina Lifford as Hazel, Otis' mother . </Li> <Li> Harold Surratt as Edgar, Otis' stepfather . </Li> <Li> Gina Ravera as Josephine (née Rogers), Otis' wife during the 1960s and the mother of their son Lamont . </Li> <Li> Stevland Parks as Lamont, Otis and Josephine's son (portrayed at age 12) </Li> <Li> Chrystal Bates as Mrs. Rogers, Josephine's mother . </Li> </Ul> </Li>

Who played otis williams in the movie the temptations