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 movies in the mid-1970s: '' The Black Godfather'' (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 ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th St in Greenwich Village. The series was broadcast on ABC Network from January 23, 1975, to May 20, 1982. It was created ...

'', '' Good Times'', ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...

'', and the 1974 TV movies ''

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman ''The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman'' is a 1971 novel by Ernest J. Gaines. The story depicts the struggles of African Americans as seen through the eyes of the narrator, a woman named Jane Pittman. She tells of the major events of her life f ...

'' and ''

Trapped Beneath the Sea ''Trapped Beneath the Sea'' is a 1974 American made-for-television action drama film directed by William A. Graham. The screenplay concerns four men trapped in a mini-submarine in waters off the coast of Florida. Paul Michael Glaser, Joshua Brya ...

''. 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.

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 Lamberto Vera Avellana (February 12, 1915 – April 25, 1991) was a prominent Filipino film and stage director. Despite considerable budgetary limitations that hampered the post-war Filipino film industry, Avellana's films such as ''Anak Dali ...

directed Indian / Philippine film, ''

The Evil Within ''The Evil Within'' is a survival horror video game developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was directed by ''Resident Evil'' series creator Shinji Mikami and was released worldwide in October 2014 for PlayStat ...

'', released in 1970. He played the part of Rod Stevens who teamed up with special agent Dev Varma (played by

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

) to bust up an opium syndicate. Following that he played the part of cowboy Joe Pittman in the made for television film, ''

''. His character Joe Pittman marries Miss Jane Pittman (Played by

Cicely Tyson Cicely Louise Tyson (December 19, 1924January 28, 2021) was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades in film, television and theatre, she became known for her portrayal of strong African-American women. Tyson recei ...

). After he is killed from being dragged by a horse. After that he had the lead role in ''Street Wars'' aka '' The Black Godfather'', which also starred Don Chastain and

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

. Perry was cast as Sgt. David "Deacon" Kay in the TV series '' S.W.A.T'' 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'' which also starred Joe Torry, Rachel Owens and

Buddy Lewis John Kelly Lewis (August 10, 1916 – February 18, 2011), better known as Buddy Lewis, was a third baseman/right fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Washington Senators (1935–41, 1945–47, 1949). Lewis ...

Filmography

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

Filmography
/ref>

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