Brock Peters

Brock Peters, born George Fisher on July 2, 1927, in New York City, was an American actor whose career spanned stage, film, television, and voice work across six decades. He died on August 23, 2005, in Los Angeles from pancreatic cancer at the age of 78. Peters was the son of Alma A. Norford and Sonnie Fisher, a sailor. Encouraged by his mother to pursue music, he studied violin from ages 10 to 14 before discovering that his vocal abilities were stronger, and he enrolled in New York's High School of Music and Art, where he participated in its musical theatre program. After graduation, he worked as a hospital orderly at night while studying physical education at the City College of New York, maintaining connections to the New York theatre community through occasional background roles in musical productions.

Peters left CCNY after securing a spot with the Leonard DePaur Infantry Chorus, with which he toured as a civilian member from 1945 to 1947. His vocal range shifted from baritone to bass-baritone during those years, and DePaur gave him the lead in the chorus's rendition of "John Henry," a piece Peters would later record on one of two solo albums released through United Artists Records in the 1960s. He adopted his stage name at his agent's suggestion, reversing the names of a childhood friend, Peter Brock. In 1949, on the recommendation of contralto Etta Moten Barnett, Peters auditioned for and joined the touring company of Porgy and Bess, where William Warfield requested that Peters serve as his understudy in the role of Porgy. While touring Europe with the production, Paul Robeson saw Peters perform the role of Crown and reportedly called him "a young Paul Robeson."

Peters made his film debut in Carmen Jones in 1954 and rose to wider prominence with his portrayal of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird and his earlier role as the villainous Crown in the 1959 film version of Porgy and Bess. Additional notable film credits include The Pawnbroker (1964), Soylent Green (1973), and Ghosts of Mississippi (1996). He worked with Charlton Heston on several theatre productions in the 1940s and 1950s, and the two later appeared together in the films Major Dundee, Soylent Green, and Two-Minute Warning. In 1963, Peters appeared in the British satirical comedy Heavens Above!, and in 1970 he voiced African-American boxer Jack Johnson in Bill Cayton's film of the same name, a performance that can be heard at the conclusion of Miles Davis's soundtrack album Jack Johnson.

Peters's Broadway career extended from 1956 to 1988 and included appearances in Lost in the Stars, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Kwamina, and productions of Miss Daisy and The Great White Hope. His lead role as Reverend Stephen Kumalo in the 1972 Broadway revival of the musical Lost in the Stars earned him a Tony Award nomination, a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance, and an Outer Critics Circle Award. The external biography notes his Broadway debut as the 1965 Norman Rosten play Mister Johnson, though the verified database places his Broadway activity beginning in 1956.

Peters was also a significant presence in recording. He sang background vocals on Harry Belafonte's 1956 hit "Day-O" and Belafonte's 1957 hit "Mama Look at Bubu," and led the chorus at the recording sessions for Belafonte's 1956 album Calypso. He contributed vocals to Randy Weston's 1959 album Live at the Five Spot and shared vocal duties with Martha Flowers on Weston's 1960 album Uhuru Afrika. Peters and Belafonte developed a close friendship during this period, sharing political views and professional approaches.

In television and voice work, Peters voiced Darth Vader in National Public Radio's serial radio drama adaptations of the original Star Wars trilogy between 1981 and 1996. He played Starfleet Admiral Cartwright in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and portrayed Joseph Sisko, father of station commander Benjamin Sisko, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also voiced Lucius Fox in several episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and appeared as a guest star in a 2003 episode of Static Shock and a 2005 episode of JAG during its final season.

Peters was a co-founder and chairman of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. He received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and was given a star in the live theater category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992. He was married to Dolores "DiDi" Daniels from 1961 until her death in 1989; their daughter, Lisa Jo Peters, was born on November 3, 1962. Peters delivered the eulogy at Gregory Peck's funeral in 2003. He is buried at Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles.