Taurean Blacque

Taurean Blacque, born Herbert Middleton Jr. on May 10, 1940, in Newark, New Jersey, was an American television and stage actor who died on July 21, 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 82. He adopted the surname Blacque and the given name Taurean in reference to his astrological sign, Taurus.

Blacque's stage training took place at the New Federal Theatre in New York City, an institution founded to create opportunities for minority and women performers. His Broadway career spanned 1973 to 1975 and included appearances in We Interrupt This Program... and The River Niger. Early television work consisted of guest roles on sitcoms including What's Happening!!, Sanford and Son, The Bob Newhart Show, The Tony Randall Show, Good Times, and Taxi. He also auditioned for the recurring role of Venus Flytrap on WKRP in Cincinnati, a part that ultimately went to Tim Reid.

In 1981, Blacque joined the cast of the NBC police drama Hill Street Blues, playing Detective Neal Washington for the entirety of the series, which concluded in 1987. His performance earned him a 1982 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, a year in which every nominee in the category came from the same show; the award went to fellow Hill Street Blues cast member Michael Conrad. Concurrent with his television work, Blacque remained active in theater, receiving an NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in 1985 for his performance in Amen Corner. In 1986, he took the male lead in the musical Don't Get God Started during its initial six-week summer engagement in Beverly Hills.

Following the conclusion of Hill Street Blues, Blacque relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he concentrated primarily on stage work while continuing to make periodic television appearances. His Atlanta-area theatrical credits included Stepping Into Tomorrow alongside Yolanda King in 1987 and a 1988 revival of Ceremonies in Dark Old Men. He filmed a CBS pilot titled Off-Duty, in which he again portrayed a police officer, though the network did not pick up the series. He also contributed a voice role as Roscoe in Disney's animated feature Oliver & Company. In 1989, he portrayed Henry Marshall on the NBC daytime drama Generations and appeared in a lead role in the science-fiction film DeepStar Six.

Blacque's Christian faith informed his involvement with adoption advocacy. He was initially approached to serve as a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Adoption Services office before he had adopted any children himself. After being told he was ineligible to adopt as an unmarried man, he persisted and ultimately adopted ten children, in addition to two sons from a marriage that ended in divorce in 1966. In 1989, President George H. W. Bush asked him to serve as a national spokesman for adoptive services. Blacque was survived by his 12 children, 18 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.