Theodore Ross Roberts was an American actor best known for his role as the Lion in The Wiz, an all-African American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production and recreated the role in the 1978 film version which also starred Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, and Lena Horne. Ross appeared in many films including the role of Bitterman in Arthur and on the television sitcoms Benson, The Jeffersons, What's Happening Now!!, The Cosby Show and its spin-off A Different World. His final role was in the 1991 movie The Fisher King.

The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak.