Percy Rodriguez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Percy Rodriguez (June 13, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was a Canadian character actor who appeared in many television shows and films from the 1950s to the 1980s. Born in the Saint-Henri neighborhood in Montreal, his birth surname was "Rodrigues," but after it was misspelled in a Broadway program early in his career, "Rodriguez" became his de facto stage name and most of his acting credits are under that spelling. He was of Afro-Portuguese heritage.
Rodriguez started his acting career in the 1930s appearing in stage plays and television series in his native country. He eventually moved to New York City where he made his Broadway theatre debut in Lillian Hellman's Toys in the Attic in 1960. He first gained widespread notoriety in 1968 for his role as neurosurgeon Dr. Harry Miles in the prime time soap opera Peyton Place. Rodriguez managed to avoid the stereotypical roles typically given to Black actors at the time. His deep, authoritative voice and articulate speaking manner helped Rodriguez to be cast usually as intelligent authority figures. He also narrated numerous movie trailers and documentaries throughout his career. He retired from acting in 1987 but continued to do voiceovers. He spoke of his narration of the trailer for Jaws in the documentary The Shark is Still Working. This was his final public appearance.
Rodriguez died of kidney failure at his Indio, California home.
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[edit] Selected television work
- Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
- Mission: Impossible four episodes (1966-1970)
- Star Trek episode "Court Martial" (1967) as Commodore Stone
- Peyton Place (1968-1969) as Dr. Harry Miles
- Then Came Bronson episode "Two Percent of Nothing" (1969)
- Somerset as The Lieutenant (1971)
- Genesis II (1973)
- Roots: The Next Generations (1979)
- Sanford (1980) as Winston
- Benson (1982-1985) as Judge Harper
- The Atlanta Child Murders (1985) as Maynard Jackson
[edit] Selected filmography
- The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1969) as Dr. Benedict Copeland
- Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972)
- Rhinoceros (1974) as Mr. Nicholson
- Galaxina (1980)
- Heavy Metal (1981) as Loknar (uncredited)
- Deadly Blessing (1981) as Narrator
- The Shark is Still Working (2006) (documentary)
[edit] References
- Nelson, Valerie J. (2007-09-14). Percy Rodrigues, 89; black actor fought for authority figure roles. Obituaries. The Los Angeles Times.
[edit] External links
- Obituary in The Times, 3 October 2007
- Percy Rodriguez at the Internet Movie Database
- Percy Rodriguez article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
- Percy Rodrigues at the Internet Broadway Database
