Actor. Born George Fisher in Harlem, New York City, the son of French-African sailor, Sonnie Fisher, and West Indian Alma Norford. As a child, he sang soprano in the church choir segueing into baritone at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art. He made his stage debut as 'Jim' in "Porgy and Bess" in 1943. In 1954, he made his film debut in "Carmen Jones," for which he adopted a new stage name. He continued to sing, covering backup vocals on the 1956 hit, "Banana Boat Song" by Harry Belafonte. His most iconic role may be that of Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), at which time he struck up a lifelong friendship with Gregory Peck. He also became great friends with Charlton Heston with whom he worked on three films: "Major Dundee" (1965), "Soylent Green" (1973), and "Two Minute Warning" (1976). He was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1976. In 1979, Peters guest-starred in one episode of the original "Battlestar Galactica" television series, and, in 1982, appeared regularly on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless," while at the same time guest-starred in numerous television series such as "Magnum, PI" and "Murder She Wrote." He played Darth Vader in the National Public Radio dramatizations of "Star Wars" (1981), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1983), and "Return of the Jedi" (1996). In 1986, he appeared in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" as the memorable Fleet Admiral Cartwright, reprising the role in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991). He remains one of only two actors who appeared in "Star Trek" who have also played characters from "Star Wars." For his contributions to theatre, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Actor. Born George Fisher in Harlem, New York City, the son of French-African sailor, Sonnie Fisher, and West Indian Alma Norford. As a child, he sang soprano in the church choir segueing into baritone at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art. He made his stage debut as 'Jim' in "Porgy and Bess" in 1943. In 1954, he made his film debut in "Carmen Jones," for which he adopted a new stage name. He continued to sing, covering backup vocals on the 1956 hit, "Banana Boat Song" by Harry Belafonte. His most iconic role may be that of Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), at which time he struck up a lifelong friendship with Gregory Peck. He also became great friends with Charlton Heston with whom he worked on three films: "Major Dundee" (1965), "Soylent Green" (1973), and "Two Minute Warning" (1976). He was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1976. In 1979, Peters guest-starred in one episode of the original "Battlestar Galactica" television series, and, in 1982, appeared regularly on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless," while at the same time guest-starred in numerous television series such as "Magnum, PI" and "Murder She Wrote." He played Darth Vader in the National Public Radio dramatizations of "Star Wars" (1981), "The Empire Strikes Back" (1983), and "Return of the Jedi" (1996). In 1986, he appeared in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" as the memorable Fleet Admiral Cartwright, reprising the role in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (1991). He remains one of only two actors who appeared in "Star Trek" who have also played characters from "Star Wars." For his contributions to theatre, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Bio by: Iola
Inscription
Your strings of life touched music empyrean,
singing your memory as Actor, Husband, Father,
Friend better than you knew. May your spirit
rest in peace.
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Peters memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
