The actor died at his home in New York on Tuesday morning. He was 95.
Actor Terry Carter -- best known for his role as Colonel Tigh on the original Battlestar Galactica -- died at his home in New York Tuesday morning. He was 95.
According to a statement shared on the actor's official website, Carter died "peacefully" in his home. A cause of death was not provided.
Carter was born John Everett DeCoste on Dec. 16, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, where he was raised as the only child of parents William and Mercedes DeCoste. He made his Hollywood debut on The Phil Silvers Show, where he was one of the first Black regulars. The actor played Private Sugarman on the 1956 sitcom and appeared in over 90 episodes before the show ended its run on CBS in 1959.
In 1965, Carter would go on to become the first Black TV news anchor for Boston's WBZ-TV Eyewitness News. He became the show's first opening night drama and movie critic, per the website.
Carter's résumé of roles includes the 1970's TV movie Company of Killers, in which he starred alongside Van Johnson and Ray Milland, the 1974 film Foxy Brown with Pam Grier, and the 1970 crime drama series McCloud. Carter was cast as Sergeant Joe Broadhurst alongside Dennis Weaver as the title character and J.D. Cannon. McCloud earned six Emmy nominations during its 1970 to 1977 run.
It was after his successful run on McCloud that Carter was cast as Colonel Tigh on the beloved, yet short-lived, sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, which aired for one season from 1978 to 1979.
Carter also made appearances on classic shows like That Girl, Julia, The Jeffersons, Falcon Crest, Mr. Belvedere and 227.
In 1979, Carter formed the Council for Positive Images, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing intercultural and interethnic understanding through audiovisual communication. Under the organization, he produced and directed several documentary programs for PBS, focusing on cultural and historical topics.
A celebrated documentarian, he produced and directed the 1988 Emmy-nominated TV musical documentary A Duke Named Ellington about the jazz titan. Carter also earned a Los Angeles Emmy for K*I*D*S, a miniseries he created, directed and produced about a diverse group of teenagers who struggle to navigate the intense conflicts confronting American youth at the time.
Carter served two terms on the board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, starting in 1980. He was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1983, and served on the Documentary Committee and the Foreign Films Committee for the Oscars.
Carter is survived by his wife, Etaferhu Zenebe-DeCoste, two children, Miguel and Melinda, and a granddaughter. Twice widowed, he was preceded in death by his late wives, Anna DeCoste and Beate Glatved DeCoste.
A private family memorial will be held for Carter at a later time.
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