Actor Gregory Sierra, best known for his roles in “Sanford and Son” そして “Barney Miller,” died on January 4 from cancer, his widow Helene Tabor confirmed to CNN Friday. 彼がいた 83.
“He was quite wonderful, and my heart is broken into 400 million pieces,” Tabor said. The cancer persisted “for quite a while and he was doing the best he could and just couldn’t do it anymore,” 彼女は言いました.
Originally from New York, Sierra relocated to California, pursuing a film and stage career that ultimately spanned five decades. His most prominent roles were in sitcoms from the 1970s.
In NBC’s “Sanford and Son,” he was a series regular as the Sanfords’ neighbor Julio Fuentes. Later, he portrayed Miguel “Chano” Amanguale, a detective on ABC’s “Barney Miller.”
Gregory Sierra (左) as neighbor Julio Fuentes in an episode from “Sanford and Son”
Sierra also had supporting or guest roles in “All in the Family,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Miami Vice,” そして “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Film credits included “Beneath the Planet of the Apes,” “Papillon,” そして “The Towering Inferno.”
Tabor called Sierra “a brilliant actor” and said he was still receiving fan mail in the days since his death. His last クレジット acting role was in 2018. Tabor said he decided to retire because, while he still loved acting, he had difficulty remembering his lines.
Tabor said he was “the first person to help anybody that needed help and he cared about people very much.”
Sierra is also survived by two stepdaughters and a step-granddaughter, all of whom, Tabor said, “loved him and called him ‘Dad.'”
