Brock Peters

Brock Peters (born George Fisher; July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) 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 famed High 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 the City 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".

Career 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 of Porgy and Bess in 1949 on contralto Etta Moten Barnett's suggestion, he went on tour with the opera, where William 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 that Paul Robeson saw him in his career-defining role as "Crown" and purportedly declared that he was "a young Paul Robeson".

Peters with Fess Parker in the episode "Pompey" on Daniel Boone (1964) Peters made his film debut in Carmen Jones in 1954, but began to make a name for himself in such films as To Kill a Mockingbird and The L-Shaped Room. He received a Tony nomination for his starring stint in Broadway's Lost in the Stars.

Peters sang background vocals on the 1956 hit "Day-O" by Harry Belafonte, as well as on Belafonte's 1957 hit, "Mama Look at Bubu". He led the chorus at recording sessions for Belafonte's iconic 1956 album Calypso. He also sang on the song "Where" from Randy Weston's 1959 album Live 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 in Heavens Above!, a British satirical-comedy film starring Peter Sellers, directed by John and Roy Boulting. He played a supporting role as the gangster Rodriguez in the 1964 film, The Pawnbroker, one of the first confirmed homosexual characters in an American film. He played “Jesse” in a 1972 episode of Gunsmoke. He was a special guest star in the third season of The Streets of San Francisco, playing the character "Jacob" in the episode called "Jacob's Boy" (1974).

In the film Abe 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. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Peters plays Tom 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 boxer Jack Johnson in Bill Cayton's film of the same name, and it is in this role that he can be heard at the end of Miles 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 voiced Darth Vader in the radio adaptations of the first three Star Wars films for National Public Radio. He also played the role of a Colonial prosecutor trying to make a murder case against Starbuck in an episode of the original Battlestar Galactica.

Peters appeared in the films Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Fleet Admiral Cartwright of Starfleet Command. Peters portrayed Joseph Sisko, father of Deep Space Nine's commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In 1993, he was a member of the jury at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival. In early 2005, six months before his death, Peters guest-starred in an episode of JAG during its final season, "Bridging the Gulf", season 10 episode 15. Peters worked with Charlton Heston on several theater productions in the 1940s and 1950s. The two became friends and subsequently worked together on several films, including Major Dundee, Soylent Green, and Two-Minute Warning. He voiced Lucius Fox in several episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and had a guest role as Morris Grant/Soul Power in the Static Shock episode "Blast from the Past" (2003).

He was involved in many community projects, including being chairman and a co-founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Recognition Brock was awarded the 26th Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1990 for his acting career and humanitarian contributions. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the live theater category in 1992.

Personal life Peters was once romantically involved with actress Ja'net Dubois. 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 at Gregory Peck's funeral in 2003. His character, Tom Robinson, was defended by Peck's Atticus Finch in 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird.

Peters died in Los Angeles from pancreatic cancer on August 23, 2005, at the age of 78. He is buried in the Revelation section at Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography Film 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 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)

Television Year Title Role Notes 1964 Daniel Boone Pompey Episode: "Pompey" 1965 The Loner Lemuel StoveEpisode: "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 Bionic Woman Jack Stratton Episode: "Which One is Jaime?" 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 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 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 1997 Johnny Bravo Chronos (voice) Episode: "Bearly Enough Time!" 1997 Spicy City Bird (voice) Episode: "Raven's Revenge" 1997 Adventures from the Book of Virtues Ahasuerus (voice) Episode: "Loyalty" 1998–2000 The Wild Thornberrys Dr. Jomo Mbeli / Poacher (voice)2 episodes 2001 Samurai Jack Lazzor (voice) Episode: "Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites" 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"2005 JagPaul Revere Episode: "Bridging the Gulf;" Final role

Other notable performances Nat Turner in The Original Confessions of Nat Turner As Made to T.R. Gray, November 1, 1831, LP, CMS Records (1968) Stephen Kumalo in Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's Lost in the Stars (stage revival and 1974 film version) – nominated for a Tony Award The Reverend Canon Frederick Chasuble, DD in an all-black film version of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (1992) Darth Vader in the Star Wars radio series Voice-acting performance as the boxer Jack Johnson on the Miles Davis album A Tribute to Jack Johnson