Brock Peters | |
|---|---|
 Peters in 1961 | |
| Born | George Fisher (1927-07-02)July 2, 1927 |
| Died | August 23, 2005(2005-08-23) (aged 78) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Other names | Brock G. Peters |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1949–2005 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Brock Peters (bornGeorge Fisher; July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005)[1] was an American actor, best known for playing the villainous "Crown" in the 1959 film version ofPorgy and Bess, andTom Robinson in the 1962 filmTo Kill a Mockingbird. He made hisBroadway debut in the 1965Norman Rosten playMister Johnson. He was nominated for aTony Award and won aDrama Desk Award and anOuter Critics Circle Award for his lead role as Rev. Stephen Kumalo in the 1972 Broadway revival of the musicalLost in the Stars. He received theScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1991 and a star onHollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Peters voiced the role ofDarth Vader in theserial radio drama adaptations of the original trilogy ofStar Wars films, and played two recurring roles in theStar Trek franchise: Starfleet Admiral Cartwright in two of the original-cast feature films, and Joseph Sisko (father of station commanderBenjamin Sisko) inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Peters' notable film roles includeCarmen Jones (1954),The Pawnbroker (1964),Soylent Green (1973) andGhosts of Mississippi (1996).
Peters was born George Fisher in New York City, the son of Alma A. (née Norford) and Sonnie Fisher, a sailor.[1][2] Peters set his sights on a show business career early on, at the age of 10. Avidly encouraged by his mother Alma to pursue a musical career, he studied the violin from 10 to 14 years of age, but he found out that his singing talents were more prodigious and upon enrolling at New York's famedHigh School of Music & Art, he immediately signed up for several productions in its musical theatre program. Upon graduation, Peters initially fielded more odd jobs than acting jobs, often working as a hospital orderly at night while he worked his way through physical education studies at theCity College of New York (CCNY), but he still stayed connected to the burgeoning theatre and creative community in New York, occasionally doing background parts in musical plays like "Black Aida".
After auditioning and landing a spot touring with the Leonard DePaur Infantry Chorus (of which he was a civilian member from 1945 to 1947), he officially quit CCNY. Peters often joked that he "grew up" in the chorus, because his vocal range changed from baritone to bass baritone during his years with them. DePaur subsequently gave him the lead in the Chorus' popular rendition of "John Henry" (which became a repertoire mainstay of Peters in later years, singing the work on one of his two solo albums which was produced by United Artists Records in the 1960s).
At the suggestion of his agent, he adopted a more memorable stage name, reversing the order of the names of childhood friend Peter Brock.
After auditioning and landing a stage role in the touring company ofPorgy and Bess in 1949 oncontraltoEtta Moten Barnett's suggestion, he went on tour with the opera, whereWilliam Warfield commended his performances and requested that Peters be his understudy as Porgy. It was during this time while he was touring in Europe with the opera thatPaul Robeson saw him in his career-defining role as "Crown" and purportedly declared that he was "a young Paul Robeson".[citation needed]
Peters made his film debut inCarmen Jones in 1954, but began to make a name for himself in such films asTo Kill a Mockingbird andThe L-Shaped Room. He received aTony nomination for his starring stint inBroadway'sLost in the Stars.
Peters sang background vocals on the 1956 hit "Day-O" byHarry Belafonte, as well as on Belafonte's 1957 hit, "Mama Look at Bubu". He led the chorus at recording sessions for Belafonte'siconic 1956 albumCalypso. He also sang on the song "Where" fromRandy Weston's 1959 albumLive at the Five Spot and shared vocal duties with Martha Flowers on Weston's album of the following year,Uhuru Afrika. During this time, Peters and Belafonte became close friends, sharing similar political views and approaches to their careers. In 1963, he played Matthew Robinson inHeavens Above!, a British satirical-comedy film starringPeter Sellers, directed by John andRoy Boulting. He played a supporting role as the gangster Rodriguez in the 1964 film,The Pawnbroker, one of the first confirmedhomosexual characters in an American film.[3] He played “Jesse” in a 1972 episode ofGunsmoke. He was a special guest star in the third season ofThe Streets of San Francisco, playing the character "Jacob" in the episode called "Jacob's Boy" (1974).
In the filmAbe Lincoln, Freedom Fighter (1978), Peters plays Henry, a freed black slave who is falsely accused of robbery but, defended by Abraham Lincoln, is found not guilty due to the fact he has a damaged hand and could not have committed the crime. InTo Kill a Mockingbird, Peters playsTom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white girl, a crime Atticus Finch shows he could not have committed because his left hand and arm were damaged. In 1970 Peters portrayed the voice of African-American boxerJack Johnson inBill Cayton's film of the same name, and it is in this role that he can be heard at the end ofMiles Davis' soundtrack album,Jack Johnson, saying: "I'm Jack Johnson.Heavyweight champion of the world. I'm black. They never let me forget it. I'm black, all right. I'll never let them forget it."
Between 1981 and 1996, Peters voicedDarth Vader in the radio adaptations of the first threeStar Wars films forNational Public Radio.[4] He also played the role of a Colonial prosecutor trying to make a murder case against Starbuck in an episode of the originalBattlestar Galactica.
Peters appeared in the filmsStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home andStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country asFleet Admiral Cartwright ofStarfleet Command.[5] Peters portrayed Joseph Sisko, father ofDeep Space Nine's commanding officer,Benjamin Sisko, onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. In 1993, he was a member of the jury at the43rd Berlin International Film Festival.[6] In early 2005, six months before his death, Peters guest-starred in an episode ofJAG during its final season, "Bridging the Gulf", season 10 episode 15. Peters worked withCharlton Heston on several theater productions in the 1940s and 1950s. The two became friends and subsequently worked together on several films, includingMajor Dundee,Soylent Green, andTwo-Minute Warning. He voicedLucius Fox in several episodes ofBatman: The Animated Series and had a guest role as Morris Grant/Soul Power in theStatic Shock episode "Blast from the Past" (2003).
He was involved in many community projects, including being chairman and a co-founder of theDance Theatre of Harlem.[7][8]
Brock was awarded the 26thScreen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1990 for his acting career and humanitarian contributions.[9][10] He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the live theater category in 1992.
Peters was once romantically involved with actressJa'net Dubois.[11] He was married to Dolores 'DiDi' Daniels from 1961 until her death in 1989. Their daughter, Lisa Jo Peters, was born November 3, 1962. Peters delivered the eulogy atGregory Peck's funeral in 2003. His character, Tom Robinson, was defended by Peck's Atticus Finch in 1962'sTo Kill a Mockingbird.[12][13]
Peters died in Los Angeles frompancreatic cancer on August 23, 2005, at the age of 78.[1] He is buried in the Revelation section atHollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Los Angeles, California.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Carmen Jones | Sergeant Brown | |
| 1959 | Porgy and Bess | Crown | |
| 1962 | The L-Shaped Room | Johnny | |
| 1962 | To Kill a Mockingbird | Tom Robinson | |
| 1963 | Heavens Above! | Matthew Robinson | |
| 1964 | The Pawnbroker | Rodriguez | [14] |
| 1965 | Major Dundee | Aesop | |
| 1967 | The Incident | Arnold Robinson | |
| 1968 | P.J. | Waterpark | |
| 1968 | Daring Game | Jonah | |
| 1968 | Ace High | Thomas | |
| 1970 | The McMasters | Benjamin "Benjie" | |
| 1972 | Black Girl | Earl | |
| 1973 | Soylent Green | Lieutenant Hatcher | |
| 1974 | Slaughter's Big Rip-Off | Reynolds | |
| 1974 | Lost in the Stars | Reverend Stephen Kumalo | |
| 1975 | Framed | Sam Perry | |
| 1976 | Two-Minute Warning | Paul | |
| 1978 | Abe Lincoln: Freedom Fighter | Henry | |
| 1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Fleet Admiral Cartwright | |
| 1991 | Alligator II: The Mutation | Chief Clarence Speed | |
| 1991 | Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | Fleet Admiral Cartwright | |
| 1992 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Dr. Chasuble | |
| 1996 | Ghosts of Mississippi | Walter Williams | |
| 1998 | Park Day | Heseeit Turner | |
| 2002 | No Prom for Cindy | Doctor | Short film |
| 2002 | The Wild Thornberrys Movie | Dr. Jomo Mbeli (voice) | [15] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Daniel Boone | Pompey | Episode: "Pompey" |
| 1965 | The Loner | Lemuel Stove | Episode: "The Homecoming of Lemuel Stove" |
| 1965 | Rawhide | Phinn Harper | Episode: "The Spanish Camp" |
| 1967 | Mission: Impossible | Walter Dubruis | Episode: "The Money Machine" |
| 1969–1973 | Gunsmoke | Cato / Jesse Dillard | 2 episodes |
| 1970 | Mannix | Sonny Carter | Episode: "Time Out of Mind" |
| 1972 | Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol | Berdahl | Television film |
| 1977 | SST: Death Flight | Dr. Therman | Television film |
| 1977 | Seventh Avenue | Sergeant Rollins | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Quincy, M.E. | Frank Matthews | Episode: "Death by Good Intentions" |
| 1978 | The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance | Zechariah | Television film |
| 1979 | The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel | Joe | Television film |
| 1979 | Battlestar Galactica | Solon | Episode: "Murder on the Rising Star" |
| 1981 | The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Jim | |
| 1982–1985 | The Young and the Restless | Frank Lewis | 8 episodes |
| 1983 | A Caribbean Mystery | Dr. Graham | Television film |
| 1984–1985 | Challenge of the GoBots | General Newcastle (voice) | 8 episodes |
| 1985 | The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible | Priest (voice) | Episode: "Samson and Delilah" |
| 1985 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Ogre (voice) | Episode: "Puss in Boots" |
| 1985–1986 | Galtar and the Golden Lance | Tormack (voice) | 21 episodes |
| 1986 | Murder, She Wrote | Mr. Bently | Episode: "Trial by Error" |
| 1987 | DuckTales | Druid (voice) | Episode: "The Curse of Castle McDuck" |
| 1988 | Broken Angel | Sergeant Mercurio | Television film |
| 1988 | To Heal a Nation | Paul Turner | Television film |
| 1989 | Polly | Mr. Pendergast | Television film |
| 1990 | Gravedale High | Boneyard (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 1990 | The Great Los Angeles Earthquake | David Motubu | Television film |
| 1991 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Chief Mola (voice) | Episode: "Plunder Dam" |
| 1991–1993 | The Pirates of Dark Water | Bloth (voice) | 20 episodes |
| 1992 | Highway Heartbreaker | Bert Quinn | Television film |
| 1992 | The Secret | Thurgood Carver | Television film |
| 1992 | You Must Remember This | Gus | Television film |
| 1992–1994 | Batman: The Animated Series | Lucius Fox (voice) | 8 episodes[15] |
| 1993–1994 | SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron | Dark Kat (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 1994 | Cosmic Slop | Minister Coombs | Television film; segment: "Space Traders" |
| 1995–1998 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Joseph Sisko | 6 episodes |
| 1996 | Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Snorch's Voicebox / Pool (voice) | 2 episodes[15] |
| 1996 | The New Adventures of Captain Planet | Mammoth (voice) | Episode: "Twelve Angry Animals" |
| 1996 | Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm | Ilkan (voice) | Episode: "Swords of Ilkan" |
| 1996–1997 | The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Masai / Shaman (voice) | 2 episodes[15] |
| 1997 | Johnny Bravo | Chronos (voice) | Episode: "Bearly Enough Time!"[15] |
| 1997 | Spicy City | Bird (voice) | Episode: "Raven's Revenge"[15] |
| 1997 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Ahasuerus (voice) | Episode: "Loyalty" |
| 1998–2000 | The Wild Thornberrys | Dr. Jomo Mbeli / Poacher (voice) | 2 episodes[15] |
| 2001 | Samurai Jack | Lazzor (voice) | Episode: "Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites"[15] |
| 2001 | The Legend of Tarzan | Usula (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | 10,000 Black Men Named George | Leon Frey | Television film |
| 2002 | The Locket | Henry McCord | Television film |
| 2003 | Static Shock | Morris Grant / Soul Power (voice) | Episode: "Blast from the Past"[15]; Final role |
Brock Peters, the versatile film and stage actor, singer and producer who first rose to prominence in the [1960s and 1970s] with his powerful singing voice and poignant screen portrayals of angry, belligerent black men, died yesterday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 78. The cause was complications of pancreatic cancer, his companion, Marilyn Darby, told The Associated Press. ...
