{{BLP sources, date=March 2013 {{Infobox person , name = Herbert Jefferson, Jr. , image = Herbert Jefferson, Jr. by Gage Skidmore.jpg , caption = Herbert Jefferson, Jr., at the 2012

Phoenix Comicon Phoenix Fan Fusion (formerly Phoenix Comicon and Phoenix Comic Fest) is a speculative fiction entertainment and comic book convention held annually in Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona. It was founded as the Phoenix Cactus Comicon in June 2002, ...

, birth_date = {{birth date and age, mf=yes, 1946, 9, 28 , birth_place =

Sandersville, Georgia The city of Sandersville is the county seat of Washington County, Georgia, Washington County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 5,912 at the 2010 census. It is also a part of the Central Savannah River Area. Sandersv ...

, U.S. , occupation = Actor , yearsactive = 1969-present Herbert Jefferson, Jr., (born September 28, 1946,

) is an American film, television, and stage actor.

Early life

Raised in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

in 1969. He also trained at the

HB Studio The HB Studio (Herbert Berghof Studio) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency prog ...

in New York, with William Hickey and Michael Becket, and at

The Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 44th Street (Manhattan), West 44th Street between Ninth Avenue (Manhattan), Ninth and Tenth Avenue (Manhattan), Tenth avenues in the ...

with

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

Career

Television

Jefferson co-starred as merchant seaman Roy Dwyer in the award-winning novel for television '' Rich Man, Poor Man'', its sequel, ''

Rich Man, Poor Man Book II ''Rich Man, Poor Man Book II'' is an American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 9:00pm ET/PT on Tuesday nights between September 21, 1976 and March 8, 1977. A sequel to '' Rich Man, Poor Man'' that had aired the pr ...

'', and other TV films, such as the Emmy Award-winning

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

drama '' The Law'', with

Judd Hirsch Judd Seymore Hirsch (born March 15, 1935) is an American actor. He is known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), John Lacey on the NBC series '' Dear John'' (1988–1992), and Alan Eppes on the CBS series ...

, as Jamaican defendant Maxwell Fall, and the Revolutionary War novel for TV, '' The Bastard'', as Lucas, one of the legendary

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

, which is based on the best-selling book by historical novelist

John Jakes John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932) is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, ''North and South'', has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent Famil ...

. Jefferson also appeared as a guest star in the pilot episodes of both the 1982 TV series ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' as Muntzy, an undercover police officer and partner of Michael Long's (who becomes Michael Knight), and the 1984 pilot of the TV series ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving esp ...

'', as the commander of the aircraft carrier USS ''Enterprise''.

Battlestar Galactica

He is probably best known for his role as

Lieutenant Boomer These are lists of characters from the various '' Battlestar Galactica'' incarnations. Original 1978 movie and series People from the ''Galactica'': * Commander Adama - played by Lorne Greene * Commander Cain - played by Lloyd Bridges * Capta ...

on the original ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

'' television series, a role made possible when the intended actor,

Terry Carter Terry Carter (born John Everett DeCoste; December 16, 1928) is an American actor and filmmaker, known for his roles as Sgt. Joe Broadhurst on the TV series '' McCloud'' and as Colonel Tigh on the original '' Battlestar Galactica''. Early life ...

, was injured by roller skating, but was still cast as Colonel Tigh in the series.{{cite web, title=Movies & TV: Herbert Jefferson Jr., url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/35387/Herbert-Jefferson-Jr-/biography, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325143536/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/35387/Herbert-Jefferson-Jr-/biography, url-status=dead, archive-date=March 9, 2014, department=Movies & TV Dept., work=

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, publisher= Baseline &

All Movie Guide AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

, date=2016, accessdate=March 10, 2015 Later, in the 1980 spin-off ''

Galactica 1980 ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original '' Battlestar Galactica'' television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 10 ...

'', his character was promoted to colonel, and had moved up in the

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

to become the executive officer of the ''Galactica'', replacing Carter in the process.

Films

His notable feature-film credits include the award-winning

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

film ''

Apollo 13 Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...

'' (1995), where he played a news reporter, and the

Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film ''Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include ''The Ne ...

film ''

Outbreak In epidemiology, an outbreak is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire ...

'' (1995) as a doctor. He also appeared in two films starring football legend

Jim Brown James Nathaniel Brown (born February 17, 1936) is a former American football player, sports analyst and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one ...

, ''

Black Gunn ''Black Gunn'' is a 1972 American neo-noir crime thriller film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Jim Brown, Martin Landau, Brenda Sykes, Herbert Jefferson Jr. and Luciana Paluzzi. Baseball pitcher Vida Blue appears in a supporting ...

'' (1972), as his brother, ''

The Slams ''The Slams'' is a 1973 American action film directed by Jonathan Kaplan and starring Jim Brown. Plot Curtis Hook (Jim Brown) is caught by the police after a heist. In jail, Curtis has to deal with people who want to know where he stashed the loo ...

'' (1973), as his cellmate, and

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

's ''

Private Duty Nurses ''Private Duty Nurses'' is a 1971 American film written and directed by George Armitage. It is a sequel to '' The Student Nurses'' (1970) for New World Pictures. Roger Corman says they got the idea for the title after being sent a letter of compla ...

'' (1971), as activist Dr. Elton Sanders, which marked his feature-film debut.

Web series

In 2015, he appeared in the cameo role of Admiral Grant (Ben) Satterlee in the pilot of the web-based series '' Star Trek: Renegades'' (the pilot episode was developed for television, but was rejected, and subsequently made available on the Internet). In 2007, he portrayed Captain Galt, a freedom fighter, in the Internet miniseries '' Star Trek: Of Gods and Men'', from the same independent production company.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*{{IMDb name, id=0420170, name= Herbert Jefferson Jr. {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson, Herbert Jr. 1946 births African-American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Living people Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people