Taurean Blacque (born Herbert Middleton Jr.; May 10, 1940 – July 21, 2022) was an American television and stage actor, best known for his role as Detective Neal Washington on the series ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

''. He stated that he chose the name "Taurean" because his astrological sign was

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

. He was at one time a national spokesman for adoptive services.S. Pearl Sharp
"Giving respect to dads who adopt,"
''

News & Notes ''News & Notes'' was a National Public Radio program focusing on issues affecting African-Americans and African diaspora communities. The listenership was multiracial and international. The program aired for one hour each weekday and was hosted by ...

'',

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

, June 16, 2006. Blacque was a Christian, and his faith influenced his desire to be involved with adoption.Michael E. Hill. "Blacque Happy to be Sharing 'Generations' On TV and Off." Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 27, 1989, p. 4-D.

Early life and career

Blacque was born Herbert Middleton Jr. on May 10, 1940, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. Before appearing on television, Blacque trained and performed at the

New Federal Theatre The New Federal Theatre is a theatre company named after the African-American branch of the Federal Theatre Project, which was created in the United States during the Great Depression to provide resources for theatre and other artistic programs. ...

in New York City, a theater founded to provide opportunities to minorities and women."History,"
''New Federal Theater Newsletter'', 2004. Early in his acting career, Blacque began making guest appearances in sitcoms such as ''

What's Happening!! ''What's Happening!!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from August 5, 1976, until April 28, 1979, premiering as a summer series. Due to other shows being cancelled across the network, and good ratings and reviews from ...

'', ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC One in the United ...

'', ''

The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psy ...

'', ''

The Tony Randall Show ''The Tony Randall Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC during its first season from September 23, 1976, to March 10, 1977, and on CBS for its second (and final) season from September 24, 1977, to March 25, 1978. Synopsis Th ...

'', ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

'', and ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

'', and auditioned for permanent roles on others, including Venus Flytrap on ''

WKRP in Cincinnati ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' is an American sitcom television series about the misadventures of the staff of a struggling fictional radio broadcasting, radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show was created by Hugh Wilson (director), Hugh Wilson ...

'', eventually played by

Tim Reid Timothy Lee Reid (born December 19, 1944) is an American actor, comedian and film director best known for his roles in prime time American television programs, such as Venus Flytrap on ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–82), Marcel "Downtown" Brown ...

.Harry Harris. "Reid's into music on and off the screen," ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' (PA), May 24, 1981, ''TV Seek'' section, page 4. In 1981 he joined the cast of the police drama ''

'', staying with the show throughout its run, which ended in 1987. While appearing on that show, he was nominated in 1982 for the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginning ...

, but lost to fellow ''Hill Street'' actor

Michael Conrad Michael Conrad (October 16, 1925November 22, 1983) was an American actor perhaps best known for his portrayal of veteran cop Sgt. Phil Esterhaus on ''Hill Street Blues'', in which he ended the introductory roll call to each week's show with "Le ...

, in a year in which all the nominees in the category came from the same series.UPI. "'Hill Street', 'Fame' dominate Emmy nominations," ''The Miami Herald'' (FL), August 6, 1982, Comics/TV section, page 4B. His theatrical career continued during his run on the show, winning him an

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

for Best Actor (Local) in 1985 for his role in ''Amen Corner''.Lorenzo Benet. "'Soldier's Story' wins top NAACP film award," ''Daily News of Los Angeles'' (CA), December 10, 1985, L.A. Life section, page 15. In 1986 his stage roles included the male lead in the musical ''Don't Get God Started'' during its initial six-week summer run in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

.Leonard W. Boasberg. "Rebirth of a musical: The playwright tells how 'Don't Get God Started' got started – the play opens tomorrow," ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' (PA), June 16, 1987, Features Daily Magazine, page E1. After ''Hill Street'' ended, Blacque moved to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, to provide a better home for his children. In Atlanta, he focused on theatrical work while making occasional guest appearances on television. Blacque's notable stage performances included ''Stepping Into Tomorrow'' with

Yolanda King Yolanda Denise King (November 17, 1955 – May 15, 2007) was an African-American activist, actress and first-born child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was also known for her artistic and entertainment e ...

in 1987"'Stepping Into Tomorrow' to benefit Black Actors Theatre," ''The Orange County Register'', September 1, 1987, Accent section, page E8. and a 1988 revival of ''

Ceremonies in Dark Old Men A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular) ...

''.Tom Jacobs. "'Ceremonies' still vivid, absorbing," ''Daily News of Los Angeles'' (CA), February 9, 1988, L.A. Life section, page L19. His television work included a pilot, ''Off-Duty'', for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, in which Blacque once again played a police officer; the show was not picked up by the network.Joan Hanauer, United Press International, Wire services. "The blues and their brews," ''The Record'' (New Jersey) – August 16, 1988, page D14. Blacque also had a small voice role in

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's animated film ''

Oliver & Company ''Oliver & Company'' is a 1988 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on November 18, 1988, by Walt Disney Pictures. The 27th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the Charl ...

'' as the voice of Roscoe.Jim Gordon. "Take the gang to see 'Oliver & Company'," ''Post-Tribune'' (IN), November 18, 1988, Lifestyles/Weekend section, page 12. In 1989, he portrayed Henry Marshall on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

's ''Generations (U.S. TV series), Generations''. His film work in this period included a lead role in the 1989 science-fiction film ''DeepStar Six''.

As adoptive parent

Blacque initially was asked to serve as spokesman for the Los Angeles County, County of Los Angeles Adoption Services office although he had no adoptive children at the time. Upon looking into the possibility of adoption, he claimed he was told that he was ineligible to adopt, as an unmarried man. He pressed on, however, eventually adopting ten children, in addition to his two sons from a marriage which ended in divorce in 1966. He apparently never remarried. In 1989, he was asked by President George H. W. Bush to serve as a national spokesman for adoption.

Death

His death, at age 82, in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, following "a brief illness", was first announced on Facebook on July 21, 2022. He was survived by his 12 children, 18 grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blacque, Taurean 1940 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century African-American people 21st-century American male actors African-American male actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors Male actors from Atlanta Male actors from Newark, New Jersey