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Brock Peters

 
Artist: Brock Peters
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Classical Artists
  • Country: USA
  • Born: July 02, 1927 in New York, NY
  • Died: August 23, 2005 in Los Angeles, CA

Biography

It might surprise audiences who only know him for his acting performances in movies such as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, or in classic feature films like To Kill a Mockingbird, to learn that Brock Peters started his performing career as a singer. Born Brock Fisher in New York in 1927, he was the son of Sonnie Fisher and the former Alma A. Norford -- his parents were, respectively, of French African and British West Indian descent. Peters was a boy soprano in the choir of the St. Phillips Church and took up the violin at age nine. His voice made a smooth transition to a powerful baritone, and he studied singing and music theory at the High School of Music and Art. During this period, he was also drawn to acting, and took private instruction in this field; he balanced all of these studies with an interest in physical education. Peters attended the University of Chicago from 1944 to 1945, and graduated from the City College of New York in 1947 with a degree in physical education, but he'd already made his stage debut as Jim in Porgy and Bess in 1943. Peters toured with the production during the season that followed, and also appeared on stage in South Pacific in a small role. After graduating from college, he served in the military; he also sang in a uniformed choral group during this period. Over the next decade and a half, he pursued careers as a singer and actor, appearing on stage in works such as Anna Lucasta, My Darlin' Aida, and Mr. Johnson in their original productions during the mid-'50s, and also singing in cabaret while working as a YMCA instructor, hospital orderly, and shipping clerk in the early years. Peters made his television debut as a singer on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1953, and made his movie debut a year later in Otto Preminger's production of Carmen Jones -- he also appeared on the soundtrack album from the film. During the late '50s, he performed at such clubs as the Village Gate in New York, the Gate of Horn in Chicago, the Purple Onion in Toronto, and the Troubadour in Los Angeles, juggling those engagements with film appearances in Porgy and Bess (as Crown); To Kill A Mockingbird (in a non-singing role); and as a singer on the television shows The Hit Parade, The Garry Moore Morning Show, Music for a Summer Night, Music for a Spring Night, The Tonight Show, and Hootenanny. He also recorded a pair of albums for the fledgling United Artists label during the late '50s: Sing'a Man, produced by jazz specialist Jack Lewis with bassist Chet Amsterdam, and At the Village Gate, both released in 1959. He also appeared on Odetta's Overture for Ballad of Americans LP. From the early '60s onward, Peters was more widely recognized for his acting than his singing, although he continued doing musicals on stage into the '70s, including the starring role in a production of Lost in the Stars. Peters married Dolores Daniels, a television producer, in 1961, and he later turned to producing himself, both on stage and in films, most notably the comedy Five on the Black Hand Side. ~ Bruce Eder ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
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Actor: Brock Peters
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Jul 02, 1927 in New York City, New York
  • Died: Aug 23, 2005 in Los Angeles, California
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '60s-'90s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Science Fiction
  • Career Highlights: The Pawnbroker, To Kill a Mockingbird, Porgy and Bess
  • First Major Screen Credit: Porgy and Bess (1959)

Biography

African American actor Brock Peters was a stage performer as early as 1943, long before he was old enough to attend CCNY. Peters made his film bow as Sgt. Brown in Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones (1954). Five years later, he appeared in another Preminger-directed musical film, playing the menacing Crown in Porgy and Bess (1959); coincidentally, he'd made his earliest stage appearance in that same Gershwin opera. Specializing in roles of unquestioned authority, Peters was at home with the villainous Rodriguez in The Pawnbroker (1965) as he was with the kindly Reverend Kumalko in Lost in the Stars (1974). Conversely, one of Peters' most impressive screen performances was as a victim; in 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird, he played accused rapist Tom Robinson. His more recent movie assignments have included Admiral Cartwright in two of the Star Trek theatrical features (numbers IV and VI), and a brace of roles previously associated with white actors: reclusive Mr. Pendergast in Polly, the 1988 musical adaptation of Pollyanna, and the fatuous Reverend Chasuble in the all-black 1992 remake of The Importance of Being Earnest. Peters also produced the 1973 film Five on the Black Hand Side, and has from time to time pursued a nightclub singing career. On television, Peters was briefly a regular on the daytime drama Young and the Restless, and supplied the voice of Lucius Fox on 1992's Batman: The Animated Series. The recipient of numerous industry awards and honors, Brock Peters was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Brock Peters
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Brock Peters
Born George Fisher
July 2, 1927(1927-07-02)
New York City, New York, United States
Died August 23, 2005 (aged 78)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation Actor
Years active 1949-2005
Spouse(s) Dolores Daniels (1961-1989) (her death) 1 child

Brock Peters (July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) was an American actor, best known for playing the role, in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, of Tom Robinson, the black man unjustly convicted of raping a white girl. He also gained recognition among Star Trek fans for his portrayals of Admiral Cartwright and Joseph Sisko, father of Benjamin Sisko.

Contents

Early life

Peters was born George Fisher in New York City, the son of Alma A. (née Norford) and Sonnie Fisher, a sailor.[1] He was of African and West Indian descent. Peters set his sights on a show business career early on, at age 10. A product of New York's famed Music and Arts High School, Peters initially fielded more odd jobs than acting jobs as he worked his way up from Harlem poverty. Landing a stage role in Porgy and Bess in 1949, he quit physical education studies at City College of New York and went on tour with the opera.

Career

Peters made his film debut in Carmen Jones in 1954, but he really 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.

He sang background vocals on the 1956 hit, "Banana Boat (Day-O)" by Harry Belafonte as well as Belafonte's 1957 hit, "Mama Look At Bubu." 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 Africa.

In the movie Abe Lincoln, Freedom Fighter (1978), Peters plays Henry, a freed black slave who is falsely accused of robbery but, defended by Abe Lincoln, is found not guilty due to the fact he has a damaged hand and couldn't have committed the crime. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Peters plays Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white girl, whom Atticus Finch shows could not have committed due to the fact his hand (and arm) were damaged.

In radio, Peters was the voice of Darth Vader for the National Public Radio adaptation of the original Star Wars trilogy.

He also worked in the films Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Fleet Admiral Cartwright of Starfleet Command.[2] Brock Peters also portrayed Joseph Sisko, father of Deep Space Nine's commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In early 2005, Peters guest starred in an episode of JAG's final season, "Bridging the Gulf", season 10 episode 15. 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 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 also voiced Soul Power in the cartoon Static Shock (2000–2004).

He died in Los Angeles, California of pancreatic cancer on August 23, 2005 at the age of 78.

Notable performances

Deep Space Nine appearances

References

  1. ^ Brock Peters Biography (1927-)
  2. ^ "Brock Peters Biography". StarTrek.com. CBS Studios. http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/DS9/cast/11830.html. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 

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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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