Gregory Sierra, who played major supporting roles in classic 1970s sitcoms, including Sanford And Son and Barney Miller, died at the age of 83.
The New York-born actor passed away on January 4, but a spokesman for his family released the news only on Friday via Deadline.
He died of cancer in Laguna Woods, California, his family revealed.
Television star: Gregory Sierra, best known for being a regular in Sanford And Son and Barney Miller in the 1970s, died in Laguna Woods, California, on January 4 of cancer at the age of 84
In 1972, Sierra started one of his most popular roles as Julio Fuentes on the sitcom Sanford And Son, starring Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson as title characters.
His character Julio, a Puerto Rican born in New York, will live next to Fred and Lamont Sanford in the second season of the show.
Julio had an often irritable relationship with the fanatic leader of Foxx, who repeatedly told him to return to Puerto Rico, although Lamont always tried to soften their differences.
In 1975, Sierra joined police comedy Barney Miller as a sergeant. Miguel ‘Chano’ Amanguale.
Riot of laughter: In 1972, Sierra started one of his most popular roles as Julio Fuentes on the sitcom Sanford And Son, starring Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson as the title characters; still from Sanford And Son
The Executioner: In 1975, Sierra joined police comedy Barney Miller as a sergeant. Miguel ‘Chano’ Amanguale, who stole the show in the dramatic episode The Hero; still from Barney Miller
His character provided comic relief with explosions in Spanish when he became overheated.
The comic book series took a serious turn with the episode The Hero, in which Chano killed two suspects to prevent an assault.
Although his costars, including Hal Linden as the title character and Abe Vigoda as the sergeant. Fish, recommend it for a compliment, it is dominated by guilt.
“I think Barney Miller is much more real than any other police show,” Sierra said in an interview for the 1976 critical study TV Talk 2: Exploring TV Territory, via The Hollywood Reporter.
‘The people on the show have real problems. Kojak never cares. He knows he’s ready. Everything is always under control at that show. You never see the frustrations of police work or the kind of play that goes on between real cops. Those are the types of things that we show. ‘
Bad time: Sierra was dropped from Barney Miller without any explanation after the second season so that he could star in the sitcom AES Hudson Street, which was set in an emergency room and led by Barney Miller creator Danny Arnold; seen on the set of Barney Miller in 1974
Sierra, who was born in Spanish Harlem in New York, also played a notable role in the 1973 episode of All In The Family, Archie Is Branded as a ‘radical Jewish watchman’.
Sierra was dropped from Barney Miller without explanation after the second season so that he could star in the sitcom AES Hudson Street, which was set in an emergency room and led by Barney Miller creator Danny Arnold.
However, the show only lasted six episodes before being canceled.
Sierra continued to have major recurring roles in police drama Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice and Murder, She Wrote.
Varied career: Sierra also appeared in films with roles in Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Papillon and The Towering Inferno; photographed with Alan Thicke in Growing Pains
Sierra was best known for his work on television, but he has appeared in high profile films throughout his career.
He played a mutant in the 1970s, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, and appeared alongside Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in the classic Prison Break Papillon.
He played a bartender in the disastrous 1974 film, The Towering Inferno, and had a small part in 1992’s Honey I Blew Up The Kid.
Sierra’s last released film was Orson Welle’s experimental film, The Other Side Of The Wind, which was filmed throughout the early and mid-1970s, but was not completed and released until 2018.
Final role: Sierra’s last film role was in Orson Welle’s experimental film, The Other Side Of The Wind, which was filmed from the beginning to the mid-1970s, but was not completed until 2018; pictured in Farrell For The People