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. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

'' Perry also played leading roles in two

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

movies in the mid-1970s: ''

The Black Godfather ''The Black Godfather'' is a 1974 American blaxploitation film written and directed by John Evans and starring Rod Perry, Don Chastain, Diane Sommerfield and Jimmy Witherspoon. The plot is about J.J. (Rod Perry), a rising star in the black cri ...

'' (1974) and ''

The Black Gestapo ''The Black Gestapo'' (also released as ''Ghetto Warriors'') is a 1975 American crime film about a vigilante named General Ahmed, who starts an inner-city "People's Army" to protect the black citizens of Watts. However, when the Army succeeds in c ...

'' (1975). Other TV appearances include '' Barney Miller'', ''

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 and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

'', '' Babylon 5'', and the 1974 TV movies '' The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman'' and '' Trapped Beneath the Sea''. In the 2000s, Perry had a cameo role in the 2003 film version of ''

'', 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, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

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'', released in 1970. He played the part of Rod Stevens who teamed up with special agent Dev Varma (played by Dev Anand) to bust up an opium syndicate. Following that he played the part of cowboy Joe Pittman in the made for television film, '' The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman''. His character Joe Pittman marries Miss Jane Pittman (Played by Cicely Tyson). After he is killed from being dragged by a horse. After that he had the lead role in ''Street Wars'' aka ''

'', which also starred

Don Chastain Don Chastain (September 2, 1935 – August 9, 2002) was an American actor, singer, and screenwriter. He worked in television in Los Angeles and New York and toured the United States and Canada. Early years Chastain was born in Oklahoma Ci ...

and Jimmy Witherspoon. Perry was cast as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay in the TV series ''

S.W.A.T In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

'' 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, ''

''. In 2005, he appeared in ''

Halloween House Party Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...

'' which also starred

Joe Torry Joe Torry is an American actor and comedian. Filmography Film Television References External links * *Joe Torry's Giving Back the Love Foundation Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living ...

, Rachel Owens and Buddy Lewis.

Filmography

IMDb
Filmography
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Rod 1934 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Pennsylvania People from Coatesville, Pennsylvania Burials at Riverside National Cemetery 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people