Roderick Maurice Perry (July 30, 1934 – December 17, 2020) was an American actor best known for his role as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay in the 1970s TV series '' S.W.A.T.'' Perry also played leading roles in two

blaxploitation In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...

movies in the mid-1970s: '' The Black Godfather'' (1974) and '' The Black Gestapo'' (1975). Other TV appearances include ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

'', ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

'', ''

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'', and the 1974 TV movies ''

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is a 1971 historical novel by American author Ernest J. Gaines. Framed as the fictional oral history of a 110-year-old African American woman, Jane Pittman, the novel traces her life from enslavement at th ...

'' and '' Trapped Beneath the Sea''. In the 2000s, Perry had a cameo role in the 2003 film version of '' S.W.A.T.'', playing the father of the character he portrayed three decades earlier in the TV series, played on this occasion by

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

Background

He is the father of singer DeQn Sue who released her ''Zeitgeist'' album in 2014.

Career

Perry's earliest film work was in the Lamberto V. Avellana directed Indian / Philippine film, ''

The Evil Within ''The Evil Within'' is a 2014 survival horror, survival horror game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was directed by ''Resident Evil'' series creator Shinji Mikami. The game centers on protagonist Sebastian Ca ...

'', released in 1970. He played the part of Rod Stevens who teamed up with special agent Dev Varma (played by

Dev Anand Dev Anand (; born Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand; 26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011) was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Indian cinema, Hindi cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest and most succes ...

) to bust up an opium syndicate. Following that he played the part of cowboy Joe Pittman in the made for television film, ''

''. His character Joe Pittman marries Miss Jane Pittman (Played by

Cicely Tyson Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson (; December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than seven decades, she is known for her portrayals of complex and strong-willed African American women. She received sev ...

). After he is killed from being dragged by a horse. After that he had the lead role in ''Street Wars'' aka '' The Black Godfather'', which also starred Don Chastain and

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues and jazz singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, an ...

. Perry was cast as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay in the TV series '' S.W.A.T'' which came out in 1975, and ran until 1976. The role of "Deacon" was to take care of the field communication. Perry played the lead role of Gen. Ahmed in the 1975 exploitation flick, '' The Black Gestapo''. In 2005, he appeared in '' Halloween House Party'' which also starred

Joe Torry Joe Torry is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. Torry is the older brother of comedian Guy Torry who is known for creating '' Phat Tuesdays'' a weekly stand-up comedy show launched in 1995 for African American comedians that was ...

, Rachel Owens and Buddy Lewis.Cinemagia.ro
Halloween House Party (2005)
/ref>

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Rod 1934 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors