Austin Stoker (b. October 7, 1930, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – d. October 7, 2022, Los Angeles, California) was a Trinidadian-American actor known for his role as Lt. Ethan Bishop, the police officer in charge of the besieged Precinct 9, Division 13, in John Carpenter's Howard Hawks-inspired 1976 film, Assault on Precinct 13. This was one of the few heroic starring roles for a black actor in an action film of the 1970s outside of the blaxploitation genre.
Stoker was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on October 7, 1930. He started his career on stage, notably the 1954 Broadway production of Truman Capote's House of Flowers, where he met his future wife, Enid Mosier (acting name Vivian Bonnell). Prior to his role as Lt. Bishop, Stoker appeared in several blaxploitation films, often playing police detectives. Among these films were Abby (1974), Combat Cops (1974), and Sheba Baby (1975), in which he played Pam Grier's love interest. Some of Stoker's other notable acting roles were in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), Horror High (1974), Airport 1975 (1974), Victory at Entebbe (1976), and the 1977 television mini-series Roots.
Stoker is known to Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans for his role as Dr. Ken Melrose in the 1982 B-movie, Time Walker, in which he appeared with Darwin Joston, his co-star from Assault on Precinct 13.
Austin Stoker died of renal failure at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on October 7, 2022, Stoker's 92nd birthday.
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Austin Stoker (1930–2022), “Assault on Precinct 13” star
Austin Stoker was an actor who starred in movies including John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13.”
- Died: October 7, 2022 (Who else died on October 7?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Los Angeles of renal failure at the age of 92.
- We invite you to share condolences for Austin Stoker in our Guest Book.
Acting career
A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Stoker acted on stage before beginning to appear on TV shows including “Mod Squad” and “Love, American Style.” His first major movie role was in 1973’s “Battle for the Planet of the Apes,” playing MacDonald, a human assistant to Roddy McDowall’s Cornelius, who lobbies for equality between humans and apes. He starred in blaxploitation films including “Abby” and “Sheba, Baby,” and he had a small role in “Airport 1975.” Stoker’s most notable role came in 1976 as the star of “Assault on Precinct 13.” He played police Lieutenant Ethan Bishop, defending a precinct from a gang attack. Stoker continued appearing on TV in shows including “Roots,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “Cagney & Lacey,” and “Falcon Crest.” He had a recurring role on “The Bold and the Beautiful” as Mitchell Owens, and he provided the voice of Jeff Allen on the animated “Return to the Planet of the Apes.” Stoker’s later credits included the 2019 Rob Zombie film “3 From Hell.”
No comments:
Post a Comment