Brock Peters (born George Fisher; July , â€" August , ) was an
American actor and singer, best known for playing the role of Tom
Robinson in the film To Kill a Mockingbird and for his role as the
villainous "Crown" in the film version of Porgy and Bess. In later
years, he gained recognition among Star Trek fans for his portrayals
of Starfleet Admiral Cartwright in two of the Star Trek feature films
and Joseph Sisko, father of Benjamin Sisko, in Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine. He also was known for his participation in the rival media
franchise, Star Wars, for playing the role of Darth Vader in the
original trilogy radio drama adaptations. He was also notable for his
role as Hatcher in Soylent Green.Peters was born George Fisher in New
York City, the son of Alma A. (née Norford) and Sonnie Fisher, a
Senegalese[citation needed] sailor with the French Navy. Peters set
his sights on a show business career early on, at the age of . Avidly
encouraged by his mother Alma to pursue a musical career, he studied
the violin from to years of age, but he found out that his singing
talents were more prodigious and upon enrolling at New York's famed
High School of Music & Art, he immediately signed up for several
productions in its musical theatre program. Upon graduation, Peters
initially fielded more odd jobs than acting jobs, often working as a
hospital orderly at night while he worked his way through physical
education studies at the City College of New York (CCNY), but he still
stayed connected to the burgeoning theatre and creative community in
New York, occasionally doing background parts in musical plays like
"Black Aida".After auditioning and landing a spot touring with the
Leonard DePaur Infantry Chorus (of which he was a civilian member from
to ), however, he officially quit CCNY. Peters often joked that he
"grew up" in the chorus, because his vocal range changed from baritone
to bass baritone during his years with them. DePaur subsequently gave
him the lead in the Chorus' popular rendition of "John Henry" (which
became a repertoire mainstay of Peters in later years, singing the
work on one of his two solo albums which was produced by United
Artists Records in the s).
American actor and singer, best known for playing the role of Tom
Robinson in the film To Kill a Mockingbird and for his role as the
villainous "Crown" in the film version of Porgy and Bess. In later
years, he gained recognition among Star Trek fans for his portrayals
of Starfleet Admiral Cartwright in two of the Star Trek feature films
and Joseph Sisko, father of Benjamin Sisko, in Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine. He also was known for his participation in the rival media
franchise, Star Wars, for playing the role of Darth Vader in the
original trilogy radio drama adaptations. He was also notable for his
role as Hatcher in Soylent Green.Peters was born George Fisher in New
York City, the son of Alma A. (née Norford) and Sonnie Fisher, a
Senegalese[citation needed] sailor with the French Navy. Peters set
his sights on a show business career early on, at the age of . Avidly
encouraged by his mother Alma to pursue a musical career, he studied
the violin from to years of age, but he found out that his singing
talents were more prodigious and upon enrolling at New York's famed
High School of Music & Art, he immediately signed up for several
productions in its musical theatre program. Upon graduation, Peters
initially fielded more odd jobs than acting jobs, often working as a
hospital orderly at night while he worked his way through physical
education studies at the City College of New York (CCNY), but he still
stayed connected to the burgeoning theatre and creative community in
New York, occasionally doing background parts in musical plays like
"Black Aida".After auditioning and landing a spot touring with the
Leonard DePaur Infantry Chorus (of which he was a civilian member from
to ), however, he officially quit CCNY. Peters often joked that he
"grew up" in the chorus, because his vocal range changed from baritone
to bass baritone during his years with them. DePaur subsequently gave
him the lead in the Chorus' popular rendition of "John Henry" (which
became a repertoire mainstay of Peters in later years, singing the
work on one of his two solo albums which was produced by United
Artists Records in the s).
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