Percy Rodriguez | |
|---|---|
 Rodriguez as Dr. Harry Miles inPeyton Place, 1968. | |
| Born | Percy Rodrigues (1918-06-13)June 13, 1918 |
| Died | September 6, 2007(2007-09-06) (aged 89) Indio, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1948–1995 |
| Spouse(s) | Almeada Batson (1943-1996) (her death) (2 children) Karen Cook-Rodrigues (2003-2007) (his death) |
| Children | 2 with Almeada |
Percy Rodriguez (bornPercy Rodrigues; June 13, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was aCanadianactor who appeared in many television shows and films from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was ofAfro-Portuguese heritage and was born in theSaint-Henri neighbourhood ofMontreal. Born with the surname "Rodrigues," he adopted the spelling "Rodriguez" after it was misspelled in aBroadwayprogram early in his career. Rodriguez was also known for his extensive voiceover work as the narrator of film trailers, television spots and documentaries.
Rodriguez was the oldest of three siblings and was of African and Portuguese descent. After his father left home while Percy was in his early teens, Percy began working to help provide for his family. He developed an interest in boxing and acting, becoming a professional boxer while simultaneously exploring acting jobs. He ended up joining Montreal’s Negro Theatre Guild and ultimately won the Canadian Drama Festival acting award in 1939. Despite the award, finding a legitimate acting job was difficult, which led to him working as a toolmaker and machinist for 10 years at Pratt & Whitney in Longueuil, Quebec in order to survive.[1]
Rodriguez began his acting career in the 1930s, appearing instage plays and television series in his native country. He eventually moved toNew York City, where he made hisBroadway theatre debut inLillian Hellman'sToys in the Attic in 1960. Appearing next inThe Actors Studio Theatre production ofJames Baldwin'sBlues for Mister Charlie[2] (and, shortly thereafter, in an abbreviated television adaptation onCBS),[3] Rodriguez subsequently became a life member of the Studio.[4]
Known for his rich and distinctive voice, Rodriguez became one of the fewblack actors in the 1960s who were able to circumvent restrictive and negativestereotypes. He managed to avoid the stereotypical roles given to black actors at the time and was known for applying and projecting quiet authority and inner calm during his roles, as well as for the touch of grey in his hair. He went on to star onAmerican television in programs such asThe Nurses,Naked City,The Wild Wild West,Route 66 andStar Trek but first gained widespread notoriety in 1968 for his role asneurosurgeon Dr. Harry Miles in the prime timesoap operaPeyton Place,[5] seen as a breakthroughwhite-collar role for a black actor. He also appeared in the made-for-television filmsThe Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970),Ring of Passion (1978),Angel Dusted (1981), and theminiseriesRoots: The Next Generations (1979). Through his depictions on television, Percy was seen as an excellentsupporting character actor.[1]
Rodriguez also had an extensive career on the stage and worked with several prominent African-American actors, such asAl Freeman Jr.,Brock Peters,Moses Gunn,William Marshall,Raymond St. Jacques,Lincoln Kilpatrick,Rosetta LeNoire,Otis Young andTony nomineeDiana Sands. He also narrated numerous film trailers, TV spots and documentaries throughout his career, continuing to do voiceovers after retiring from acting in 1987, following his final on-camera role as a doctor in the TV moviePerry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit.
Rodriguez was a prolific voice-over artist for film advertising. He is particularly famous for his eerie narration for trailers and TV spots for the filmJaws (1975), as well as the opening narration forMichael Jackson’s science fiction musicalCaptain EO (1986) forDisney theme parks.[1] Rodriguez also provided narration for theJaws sequelsJaws 2 (1978),Jaws 3-D (1983), andJaws the Revenge (1987); his final appearance was in thedocumentaryThe Shark is Still Working, where he spoke of his narration of the trailer for the filmJaws; he also provided the narration for the documentary's trailer.[6][7]
Rodriguez also narrated the very first teaser trailer forAlien (1979) and the trailer for the "Special Edition" release of theStar Wars Trilogy in 1997. Of the many film trailers and TV spots Rodriguez narrated over several decades, notable titles includeThe Other (1972),The Exorcist (1973),Shivers (1975),Taxi Driver (1976),Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977),The China Syndrome (1979),Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979),The Amityville Horror (1979),The Blues Brothers (1980),For Your Eyes Only (1981),Videodrome (1983),Children of the Corn (1984),Brazil (1985),Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986),Spaceballs (1987),Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987),Coming to America (1988),A Fish Called Wanda (1988),Poltergeist III (1988),Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988),Pet Sematary (1989),Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989),National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989),Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990),Jetsons: The Movie (1990),Misery (1990),Look Who's Talking Too (1990),The Addams Family (1991),Wayne's World (1992),Clerks (1994),The Nutty Professor (1996), andWhat Planet Are You From? (2000).[8]
Rodriguez played numerous roles, includingdetectives,lawyers,politicians,ambassadors, anddoctors. According to Robert J. Thompson, "Television didn't have its equivalent ofJackie Robinson – there wasn't that one moment when the race barrier was broken. But Rodriguez was one of a very small group of actors who were in a relatively quiet way beginning to get these roles that television was very reluctant in the 1960s to give to black actors."[9]
Rodriguez was seen as a symbol of intelligence, moral strength and leadership during his various roles in the 1960s and 1970s. His upsurge inHollywood’s stature was due to a few of his earlierBroadway appearances. Rodriguez is well known for helping to break the racial barriers on television. He is a well distinguished-looking actor and went on to become a voice of great distinction behind the camera.[1]
Rodriguez had a daughter, Hollis, and a son, Gerald, with his first wife, Alameda. Following Alameda's death, he married Karen Cook in 2003. On September 6, 2007, the actor died of kidney disease at hisIndio, California home, aged 89.[1]
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