Terry Carter, who was in Battlestar Galactica, has died. He was 95 years old.
In the 1950s, the actor broke new ground in the TV business. His son confirmed that he was dead.
Terry died in peace at his New York City home, his son told the New York Times on Tuesday.
His website says that a small ceremony just for his family has been planned.
Terry was the first Black actor to be a regular on a sitcom in the middle of the 1950s.
From 1955 to 1959, he played Private Sugarman on The Phil Silvers Show for 92 episodes.
He was the first Black TV news anchor and movie critic for WBZ-TV Eyewitness News in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1965 to 1968.
He also played lead roles in the movies Company of Killers (1970) and McCloud (1970–1977). His most famous role was as Colonel Tigh on the ABC sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica (1978–1977).
WHAT HE DID
Terry started the Council for Positive Images in 1979. It is a non-profit group that uses audiovisual communication to help people from different cultures and ethnic groups understand each other better.
Terry also directed PBS documentaries about history and culture.
There were two terms for him on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1980. He also worked for the Oscars on the Documentary Committee and the Foreign Films Committee.
Five years later, he won a Los Angeles Emmy Award for his work in the TV miniseries KID*S, which was about young teens of mixed race who were having problems at the time.
A TV movie about the famous musician Duke Ellington was made and directed by him in 1988.
HIS FAMILY
Terry retired in the end and went back to his apartment in New York.
He lived with his two kids, Miguel and Melinda, and his third wife, Etaferhu Zenebe-DeCoste.
He also lived with the daughter, granddaughter, and cousins of his wife.
He was married twice before, to Anna DeCoste (1964–1990) and Beate Glatved DeCoste (1991–2006). Both of them died before he did.
WHAT FANS SAID
Fans mourned the death of the TV star on X, which used to be Twitter.
“[He] will be missed,” wrote one fan.
I’m sorry for his family and friends’ loss. “I loved him on Battlestar Galactica,” said someone else on Twitter.
“I met him a few times, and he was without a doubt one of the nicest actors I’ve ever met,” said a third. A real gentleman. Thanks for the good times.”
Four people said, “He was a great actor and an even better person.”
A fifth asked, “Can we spare a moment to honor the passing of a wonderful actor & human being, Terry Carter, who marked my childhood as COL Tigh in the 1978 #BattlestarGalactica – a role model as a determined, kind, indefatigable XO of the best battlestar in the galaxy.”
