Brock Peters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brock Peters
Peters in 1961
Born	George Fisher (1927-07-02)July 2, 1927 Harlem, New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	August 23, 2005(2005-08-23) (aged 78) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Brock G. Peters
Education	High School of Music & Art City College of New York
Occupation	Actor, voice actor, singer
Years active	1949–2005
Spouse(s)	Dolores Daniels ​ ​ (m. 1961; died 1989)​
Children	1

Gregory Peck and Peters in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Brock Peters (born George Fisher; July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) was a talented American actor and singer. He is well-remembered for his roles in famous films. These include playing "Crown" in the 1959 film Porgy and Bess. He also played the character Tom Robinson in the 1962 movie To Kill a Mockingbird. This role was about a man wrongly accused of a crime.

Brock Peters also appeared in other notable films. Some of these are Carmen Jones (1954), The Pawnbroker (1964), and Soylent Green (1973). Later, he was in Ghosts of Mississippi (1996). His amazing work earned him the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1991. He also received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.

Peters also had a successful career on Broadway, which is the home of famous theater shows. He made his Broadway debut in 1965. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his lead role. This was as Rev. Stephen Kumalo in the 1972 musical Lost in the Stars. He also won a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Award for this part.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Brock Peters became known for his voice work. He was the voice of Darth Vader in the radio shows based on the original Star Wars films. He also played two characters in the Star Trek universe. He was Starfleet Admiral Cartwright in two Star Trek movies. Later, he played Joseph Sisko in the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Joseph Sisko was the father of the main character, Benjamin Sisko.

Early Life and Dreams

Brock Peters was born George Fisher in New York City. His mother, Alma A. Norford, and his father, Sonnie Fisher, raised him. His father was a sailor from Senegal. From a young age, Brock Peters wanted to be in show business. He decided this when he was just 10 years old.

His mother, Alma, really wanted him to have a music career. He studied the violin from ages 10 to 14. But he soon found out that his singing voice was even more special. When he went to New York's famous High School of Music & Art, he joined many musical theater shows.

After high school, Peters took many different jobs. He often worked at a hospital at night. During the day, he studied physical education at the City College of New York (CCNY). Even with these jobs, he stayed connected to the theater world in New York. He sometimes had small roles in plays like "Black Aida."

His Amazing Career

Brock Peters left CCNY after he got a spot touring with the Leonard DePaur Infantry Chorus. He was a civilian member of this chorus from 1945 to 1947. Peters often joked that he "grew up" in the chorus. This was because his singing voice changed from a baritone to a deeper bass baritone during that time.

His agent suggested he change his name to something more memorable. So, he reversed the names of a childhood friend, Peter Brock, to create "Brock Peters."

In 1949, he got a role in the touring show of Porgy and Bess. A singer named Etta Moten suggested he audition. While touring in Europe with the opera, Paul Robeson saw him. Robeson was a very famous singer and actor. He saw Peters in his role as "Crown" and reportedly said Peters was "a young Paul Robeson."

Peters with Fess Parker in the episode "Pompey" on Daniel Boone (1964)

Peters made his first film appearance in Carmen Jones in 1954. He then became more famous for movies like To Kill a Mockingbird and The L-Shaped Room. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his lead role in the Broadway show Lost in the Stars.

He also sang background vocals for Harry Belafonte's hit songs. These included "Day-O" in 1956 and "Mama Look at Bubu" in 1957. He led the chorus for Belafonte's famous 1956 album Calypso. Peters and Belafonte became close friends. They shared similar ideas about politics and their careers.

In 1963, he played Matthew Robinson in Heavens Above!, a British comedy film. He also played a gangster named Rodriguez in the 1964 film The Pawnbroker. In 1972, he played “Jesse” in an episode of Gunsmoke. He was also a special guest star in The Streets of San Francisco in 1974.

In the 1978 film Abe Lincoln, Freedom Fighter, Peters played Henry. Henry was a freed black slave wrongly accused of robbery. Abraham Lincoln defended him and proved he was innocent. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Peters played Tom Robinson, another character wrongly accused. In 1970, Peters was the voice of boxer Jack Johnson in a film about him. His voice can be heard at the end of Miles Davis' album Jack Johnson.

From 1981 to 1996, Peters used his deep voice for Darth Vader. This was for the radio shows of the first three Star Wars films. He also played a prosecutor in an episode of the original Battlestar Galactica.

Peters appeared in the Star Trek films Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. In these, he played Fleet Admiral Cartwright. He also played Joseph Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Joseph was the father of the main commander on the Deep Space Nine station. In 1993, he was part of the jury at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2005, he was a guest star in an episode of JAG.

Brock Peters worked with actor Charlton Heston on many theater shows in the 1940s and 1950s. They became good friends. They also worked together in films like Major Dundee, Soylent Green, and Two-Minute Warning. Peters also voiced Lucius Fox in Batman: The Animated Series. He was also the voice of Morris Grant/Soul Power in Static Shock.

He was very involved in community projects. He was a chairman and co-founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Awards and Honors

Brock Peters received the 26th Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1990. This award honored his acting career and his work helping others. In 1992, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This star is in the live theater category.

His Family Life

Brock Peters was married to Dolores 'DiDi' Daniels from 1961 until she passed away in 1989. They had a daughter named Lisa Jo Peters, born in 1962. Brock Peters gave the speech at Gregory Peck's funeral in 2003. Gregory Peck played Atticus Finch, who defended Peters' character, Tom Robinson, in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Brock Peters passed away in Los Angeles on August 23, 2005. He was 78 years old. He died from problems related to pancreatic cancer. Peters is buried at Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Brock Peters para niños