A Look Back at the Life and Career of Acclaimed Actor/Director George Stanford Brown, Now, 81

Photo byClassic TV Preservation Society

Overview

As actor, George Stanford Brown is best known for his role as Officer Terry Webster on the iconic TV crime series, The Rookies, which originally aired on ABC from 1972 to 1976. He later switched career gears and became a director of TV shows like Hill Street Blues and much more. He recently turned 81 years old, and this is his story.

A Closer Look

Georg Stanford Brown was born on June 24, 1943, in Havana, Cuba. When he was 7 years old, he moved with his family to Harlem, NY, where at 15, he founded the musical group called The Parthenons. This group made one television appearance before disbanding. At 16, Brown quit high school and relocated to Los Angeles when he was 17.

During the 1960s, Brown made various appearances on the big screen in movies like The Comedians, Dayton's Devils, and Bullit. In the 1970s, he appeared in films such as The Man and Wild in the Sky. He also made TV guest appearances on shows like Medical Center (which starred Chad Everett and James Daly, who ultimately became his former father-in-law).

Then came his historic regular role on The Rookies, which was produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg (The Mod Squad, Charlie's Angels). Brown was later Emmy-nominated for playing Tom Harvey (son of Chicken George, great-grandson of Kunta Kinte, and great-grandfather of Alex Haley), in the groundbreaking 1977 TV miniseries Roots and its equally historic 1979 sequel, Roots: The Next Generation (both of which were adapted from Haley's original novel).

In 1986, Brown won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for helming the final episode ("Parting Shots") in the fifth season of Cagney & Lacey, which starred Tyne Daly (to whom he was married for 24 years).

Conclusion

The elegance, sophistication, and diverse talents of actor/directors like George Stanford Brown are rarely seen in contemporary Hollywood.