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Brock Peters delivering the eulogy at Gregory Peck's funeral in 2003
Brock Peters (2 July 1927 – 23 August 2005; age 78) was an accomplished veteran actor of stage, film, and television. He played Admiral Cartwright in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and later portrayed Captain Benjamin Sisko's father, Joseph, a restauranteur in New Orleans, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Born as George Fisher in New York City to African and West Indian parentage, Peters began acting at the young age of ten. Beyond the realm of Star Trek, Peters is probably best known for his heartbreaking performance as Tom Robinson, the black man unjustly accused and convicted of raping a white girl, in the classic 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. On the set of that film, he struck up a lifelong friendship with star Gregory Peck, and delivered the eulogy at Peck's funeral in 2003.
Prior to his role in To Kill a Mockingbird, Peters made his film debut in 1954's Carmen Jones, having dropped his birth name the previous year. He went on to have a supporting role in the 1959 film Porgy and Bess. TOS actress Nichelle Nichols had a bit part in this film. In 1973, Peters and TOS guest actor Whit Bissell both had roles in the science fiction film Soylent Green.
That same year, Peters was nominated for a Tony Award for his lead performance in the stage musical Lost in the Stars. He would reprise his role from that play in the film version in 1974.
In 1979, Peters was a guest star in one episode of the popular science fiction series Battlestar Galactica, in which his role of Chief Opposer Solon returned him to a courtroom setting, this time as a prosecutor. Later that year he was was a part of the ensemble cast of the epic mini-series Roots: The Next Generations. Also included in the cast were fellow Star Trek alumni Bernie Casey, Percy Rodriguez, John Rubinstein, Bruce French, Paul Winfield, and Bill Quinn. Afterwards, Peters became a regular on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless from 1982 through 1989.
His rich, baritone voice was also used on such animated shows as Challenge of the GoBots, The Pirates of Dark Water, and Batman: The Animated Series. He even supplied the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars radio series. He also lent his voice to a character in the 2002 film The Wild Thornberrys Movie, in which Alfre Woodard and Ethan Phillips also supplied their voices.
Peters had a role in the 1996 drama Ghosts of Mississippi. This film also featured the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Susanna Thompson, Bill Smitrovich, Terry O'Quinn, Richard Riehle, Bill Cobbs, and Thomas Kopache.
Peters' other film roles include The L-Shaped Room (1962), The Pawnbroker (1964), Major Dundee (1965), and Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973). In 1991, the Screen Actors Guild awarded Peters a Lifetime Achievement Award for decades of outstanding performances.
Brock Peters died of pancreatic cancer on August 23, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. He was 78 years old. His last television appearance was in a made-for-TV movie called The Locket, which also featured his Ghosts of Mississippi co-star and fellow Trek guest actor Terry O'Quinn.
He was honored and remembered at the 2005 Emmy Awards among dearly departed entertainers and other people in Television of 2005, along with James Doohan.
Appearances
| Characters performed by Brock Peters | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Admiral Cartwright | Joseph Sisko | 20th century Preacher |
| Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
Recurring character on DS9 | DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars" |
Video games
- Star Trek: Starfleet Command III as General Mi'Qogh (voice)
External Links
- Template:IMDb-link
- Brock Peters at Wikipedia