Percy Rodriguez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Percy Rodriguez
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Rodriguez as Dr. Harry Miles in Peyton Place, 1968.
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Percy Rodrigues
June 13, 1918 |
| Died | September 6, 2007 (aged 89) Indio, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1948–1987 |
| Spouse(s) | Almeada Batson (1943-1996) (her death) (2 children) Karen Cook-Rodrigues (2003-2007) (his death) |
| Children | 2 with Almeada |
Percy Rodriguez (born Percy Rodrigues; June 13, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was a Canadian actor. He was famous for acting in many TV shows and movies from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was also well-known for his powerful voice. He narrated many movie trailers and TV commercials.
Percy was born in Montreal, Canada. His family had African and Portuguese roots. He changed the spelling of his last name from "Rodrigues" to "Rodriguez." This happened after it was misspelled in a theater program early in his career.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps
Percy was the oldest of three children. When he was a teenager, his father left home. Percy started working to help his family. He became interested in boxing and acting. He even became a professional boxer.
At the same time, he joined the Negro Theatre Guild in Montreal. In 1939, he won an acting award at the Canadian Drama Festival. Even with the award, it was hard to find acting jobs. So, he worked for 10 years as a toolmaker and machinist.
Acting Career Highlights
Percy Rodriguez started acting in the 1930s. He performed in plays and TV shows in Canada. Later, he moved to New York City. In 1960, he made his first appearance on Broadway in a play called Toys in the Attic.
Percy had a deep, special voice. He was one of the few Black actors in the 1960s who avoided common stereotypes. He often played roles that showed quiet power and inner calm. He also had a touch of grey in his hair, which became part of his look.
Breaking Barriers on TV
Percy starred in many American TV shows. These included The Nurses, Naked City, and Star Trek. He became widely known in 1968. This was for his role as Dr. Harry Miles in the TV show Peyton Place. Dr. Miles was a brain surgeon. This role was important because it was a professional, "white-collar" job for a Black actor.
Percy also appeared in TV movies. Some of these were The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970) and Angel Dusted (1981). He was also in the miniseries Roots: The Next Generations (1979). He was known as an excellent supporting actor.
Voiceover Work and Stage Roles
Percy had a big career on stage too. He worked with many famous African-American actors. He also narrated many film trailers and TV commercials. He continued doing voiceovers even after he stopped acting in 1987. His last on-camera role was as a doctor in a TV movie.
Famous Voiceover Roles
Percy Rodriguez was very busy doing voiceovers for movie ads. He is especially famous for his spooky narration for the movie Jaws (1975). He also narrated the opening for Michael Jackson's musical Captain EO (1986) at Disney theme parks.
He also did the narration for the Jaws sequels. These included Jaws 2 (1978) and Jaws 3-D (1983). His voice was also heard in the trailer for Alien (1979). He even narrated the trailer for the "Special Edition" of the Star Wars movies in 1997.
Percy narrated trailers for many other famous films. Some of these were The Exorcist (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). He also narrated for Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) and Spaceballs (1987).
Lasting Impact
Percy Rodriguez played many different characters. He was often a detective, lawyer, politician, or doctor. He helped change how Black actors were seen on TV. He was one of the first Black actors to get important roles that TV was slow to offer in the 1960s.
Percy was seen as a symbol of intelligence and strong character. His success in Hollywood was partly due to his early Broadway plays. He is remembered for helping to break racial barriers in television. He was a distinguished-looking actor. He also became a voice of great importance behind the camera.
Personal Life
Percy Rodriguez had two children, a daughter named Hollis and a son named Gerald. Their mother was his first wife, Alameda. After Alameda passed away, he married Karen Cook in 2003.
Percy Rodriguez died on September 6, 2007. He was 89 years old. He passed away from kidney disease at his home in Indio, California.
Television Work
- A Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The My Friend the Gorilla Affair" (1966) as President Khufu
- The Wild Wild West (1966) episode "The Night of the Poisonous Posey" as Brutus
- Mission: Impossible four episodes (1966–1970)
- Star Trek episode "Court Martial" (1967) as Commodore Stone
- The Fugitive episode "Passage To Helena" Sheriff Dalton (1967)
- Mannix (1967) episode "A Catalogue of Sins" as Roy Bradley
- Peyton Place (1968–1969) as Dr. Harry Miles
- Adventures in Rainbow Country episode "The Boy Who Loved Animals" (1969)
- Then Came Bronson episode "Two Percent of Nothing" (1969)
- The Silent Force as Jason Hart (series regular, 15 episodes) (1970-1971)
- Somerset as The Lieutenant (1971)
- Cannon (1972) episode "A Flight of Hawks"
- The Starlost episode "Circuit of Death" as Sakharov Richards (1973)
- Genesis II (1973) as Primus Kimbridge
- Planet of the Apes episode "The Tyrant" (1974) as Aboro
- Good Times episode "Florida's Rich Cousin" (1975) as Cousin Edgar
- The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) as Dr. Mallen
- Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers (1976) as Nolan Wainwright
- The Jeffersons episode "Louise's New Interest" (1977) as Dr. Bob Jessup
- Roots: The Next Generations (1979) as Boyd Moffatt
- Sanford (1980) as Winston
- Benson (1982–1985) as Judge Harper
- The Atlanta Child Murders (1985) as Maynard Jackson
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit (1987)
- The Incredible Crash Dummies PSAS (1985-1999) as announcer
- T.J. Hooker episode "Lady In Blue" (1983) as Jason
- Sanford and Son episode " The Olympics" (1975) as Lou Turner
- What's Happening!! episode "Mama, The School Girl" (1977) as Todd
Filmography
- Trouble-Maker (Trouble fête) (1964) as Le policier noir
- The Plainsman (1966) as Brother John
- The Sweet Ride (1968) as Lt. Harvey Atkins
- The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968) as Dr. Benedict Copeland
- Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972) as Bryce
- The Legend of Hillbilly John (1972) as Capt. Lojoie H. Desplain IV
- Rhinoceros (1974) as Mr. Nicholson
- Hugo the Hippo (1975) as Jorma's father (voice)
- The Astral Factor (1978) as Captain Wells
- Galaxina (1980) as Ordric (voice)
- Heavy Metal (1981) as Loc-Nar (voice, uncredited)
- Deadly Blessing (1981) as Narrator (voice)
- BrainWaves (1982) as Dr. Robinson
- Captain EO (1986) as Narrator
- The Shark Is Still Working (2006) (documentary)
See also
In Spanish: Percy Rodrigues para niños
