'Sanford and Son' Actor Gregory Sierra Dead at 83

Famous character actor Gregory Sierra, best known for his role in ‘Sanford and Son’ and ‘Barney Miller,’ has passed away at the age of 83.

As The New York Post reports:

Gregory Sierra, a longtime character actor who appeared in television shows and movies, most notably on “Barney Miller” and “Sanford and Son,” died Jan. 4 in Laguna Woods, Calif., from cancer. He was 83.

A New York native, Sierra’s breakthrough came when he was cast as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor to Redd Foxx’s Fred Sanford on “Sanford and Son.”

I read this & wept.I thank Olivia for sharing.Gregory Sierra Will forever be with us.Those that knew him. His laughter His wit His kindness His extraordinary artistic ability.He was a friend a Mentor a force of nature that I was so grateful to have known & worked with. RIP #SSWA https://t.co/GLwS55rxpf

— Edward James Olmos (@edwardjolmos) January 23, 2021

After he left that series, Sierra played one of the original detectives working out of the diverse 12th Precinct in Greenwich Village on ABC’s “Barney Miller.” He was written out of the series after the second season to star in “A.E.S. Hudson Street,” a sitcom about a frantic emergency room, but it lasted just six episodes.

Sierra also appeared as a radical Jewish vigilante in “Archie Is Branded,” a 1973 episode of CBS’ “All in the Family,” wherein someone paints a swastika on Archie’s door. The episode, which ends in silence, was among the most memorable from the long-running series.

Sierra also had multiple recurring roles in shows such as ‘Miami Vice,’ ‘Hill Street Blues,’ and ‘Murder She Wrote’