Austin Stoker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Austin Stoker
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Stoker in 2015
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| Born | October 7, 1930 |
| Died | October 7, 2022 (aged 92) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1954 –2022 |
| Spouse(s) | Robin Stoker (Present), Vivian Bonnell (m. 1959–200?) |
Austin Stoker (born October 7, 1930 – died October 7, 2022) was an actor from Trinidad and Tobago who also became an American citizen. He was best known for playing Lieutenant Ethan Bishop in the 1976 action film Assault on Precinct 13. This role was special because it was one of the few times a Black actor played a main hero in an action movie during the 1970s.
Contents
A Life in Acting
Austin Stoker was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. This happened on October 7, 1930. He started his acting journey on the stage.
Early Career and First Roles
In 1954, he was part of a Broadway show called House of Flowers. While working on this show, he met his future wife, Vivian Bonnell. Before his famous role as Lt. Bishop, Stoker appeared in several films. These movies often showed him playing police detectives.
Some of these early films included Abby (1974) and Sheba, Baby (1975). In Sheba, Baby, he acted alongside Pam Grier. He played her character's love interest.
Famous Film and TV Appearances
Austin Stoker had many other important acting jobs. He was in Battle for the Planet of the Apes in 1973. He also appeared in Horror High (1974) and Airport 1975 (1974).
In 1976, he was in Victory at Entebbe. A year later, he appeared in the popular TV mini-series Roots. This show was very well-known.
A Special Role for Fans
Fans of the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 might remember Austin Stoker. He played Dr. Ken Melrose in a 1982 movie called Time Walker. In this film, he acted with Darwin Joston. Darwin Joston was also his co-star from Assault on Precinct 13.
Later Life
Austin Stoker passed away on October 7, 2022. He died in Los Angeles, California. It was his 92nd birthday. He died due to kidney failure.
Filmography
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) as Bruce MacDonald
- Horror High (1974) as Lieutenant Bozeman
- The Get-Man (1974) as LT. Frank Savage
- Airport 1975 (1974) as Air Force Sgt.
- Abby (1974) as Det. Cass Potter
- Sheba, Baby (1975) as Brick Williams
- Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) as Lt. Ethan Bishop
- Victory at Entebbe (1976, TV Movie) as Dr. Ghota
- Time Walker (1982) as Dr. Ken Melrose
- A Girl to Kill For (1990) as Guard Number One
- Two Shades of Blue (1999) as Security Guard
- Mach 2 (2000) as Edwards
- Between the Lines (2006) as Charles
- Machete Joe (2010) as Raymond Sinclair
- Give Til It Hurts (2015) as Reverend Bishop
- Descention (2016) as Brother Malcolm (rumored)
- Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel (2016) as Himself
- Shhhh (2017) as Dave
- 3 from Hell (2019) as Earl Gibson
- Double Down (2020) as Vincent Jamison II
- Give Till It Hurts (2022) as Reverend Bishop
