Another member of the Star Trek family as passed away. Veteran actor Brock Peters died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer. He was 78.
To sci-fi fans Peters is best remembered as Admiral Cartwright in the Star Trek movie series. He also portrayed Joseph Sisko the father of Benjamin Sisko on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine“. What genre fans may not know is that Brock Peters also played Darth Vader. He provided the voice of the Dark Lord of the Sith in the National Public Radio dramatization of “A New Hope“, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi“. His performance in these programs is at times spine tingling and very moving. If you are a Star Wars fan and have not experienced these radio dramas you are missing out on a grand experience. They are available on CD and I encourage all Star Wars fans to check them out.
I have always considered myself a fan of Peters work but even I did not know, until I began reading up on his career, that his first big break came in 1962 when he portrayed Tom Robinson in the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird” playing opposite Gregory Peck.
Whenever I saw Peters I could not help but compare him to James Earl Jones. Both possess power voices and have a presence on the screen that is not at all common. In is a shame that Peters did not achieve a greater level of notoriety. I for enjoyed his work immensely and will miss seeing and hearing him. Brock Peters RIP.
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