Ron O'Neal (September 1, 1937 – January 14, 2004) was an American actor , director and screenwriter , who rose to fame in his role as Youngblood Priest, a New York cocaine dealer, in the blaxploitation film Super Fly (1972) and its sequel Super Fly T.N.T. (1973). O'Neal was also a director and writer for the sequel, and for the film Up Against the Wall .