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Brock Peters
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Brock Peters (July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) was an American actor, best known for the role in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird of Tom Robinson, the black man unjustly convicted of raping a white girl.
rs was born George Fisher in New York City, the son of Alma A. (née Norford) and Sonnie Fisher, a sailor. He was of African and West Indian descent. Peters set his sights on a show business career early on, at age 10.
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Encyclopedia
Brock Peters (July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) was an American actor, best known for the role in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird of Tom Robinson, the black man unjustly convicted of raping a white girl.
Early life
Peters was born George Fisher in New York City, the son of Alma A. (née Norford) and Sonnie Fisher, a sailor. 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 NYC'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."
In the movie Abe Lincoln, Freedom Fighter (1978), Peters plays Henry, a freed Negro 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. 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
- "Homefront"
- "Paradise Lost"
- "A Time to Stand"
- "Far Beyond the Stars"
- "Image in the Sand"
- "Shadows and Symbols"
External links
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