Gregory Sierra
Encyclopedia
Gregory Sierra is an American
actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amenguale on Barney Miller
and as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican
neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son
(portrayed by Redd Foxx
).
He also guest-starred as a Jewish radical
in an unusually dramatic episode of All in the Family
, working with the Hebrew Defense Association, an organization whose goal it was to stop anti-Semitism
in the neighborhood. In the plot, he volunteers in helping to chase away neo-Nazi
thugs presiding in the neighborhood who spray-painted a swastika on the Bunkers' front door. He is later killed by a car bomb planted by the neo-Nazis. The actor later went on to star as Dr. Tony Menzies on the unsuccessful sitcom A.E.S. Hudson Street
.
Sierra was cast as South American anti-Communist
revolutionary "El Puerco" — whose friends simply call him "El" — on the serial spoof Soap
, figuring prominently in the series' unresolved final episode in 1981. In 1984, he briefly became a main cast member of the then-new TV drama Miami Vice
where he played Lieutenant Lou Rodriguez; he asked to be written out of the series after just four episodes. More recently he had regular roles on the TV shows Zorro and Son, Something is Out There
, and Common Law.
In 1992, Sierra played drug dealer Felix Barbossa in the Bill Duke-directed Deep Cover
, which also starred Laurence Fishburne
and Jeff Goldblum
. He also played a man named Villanazul in the low-budget 1998 movie The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
. He also appeared as Corbin Entek in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
episode "Second Skin
" and played a fugitive on the run with Steve McQueen
in Papillon
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amenguale on Barney Miller
Barney Miller
Barney Miller is a situation comedy television series set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village. The series originally was broadcast from January 23, 1975 to May 20, 1982 on ABC. It was created by Danny Arnold and Theodore J. Flicker...
and as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son
Sanford and Son is an American sitcom, based on the BBC's Steptoe and Son, that ran on the NBC television network from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977....
(portrayed by Redd Foxx
Redd Foxx
John Elroy Sanford , better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American comedian and actor, best known for his starring role on the sitcom Sanford and Son.-Early life:...
).
He also guest-starred as a Jewish radical
Extremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
in an unusually dramatic episode of All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, working with the Hebrew Defense Association, an organization whose goal it was to stop anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
in the neighborhood. In the plot, he volunteers in helping to chase away neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
thugs presiding in the neighborhood who spray-painted a swastika on the Bunkers' front door. He is later killed by a car bomb planted by the neo-Nazis. The actor later went on to star as Dr. Tony Menzies on the unsuccessful sitcom A.E.S. Hudson Street
A.E.S. Hudson Street
A.E.S. Hudson Street is a comedy television show that aired on ABC in 1978. The short-lived series followed the antics of the staff of a run-down Adult Emergency Service hospital on Hudson Street, on the lower west side of Manhattan. It was cancelled after five episodes. -Cast and...
.
Sierra was cast as South American anti-Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
revolutionary "El Puerco" — whose friends simply call him "El" — on the serial spoof Soap
Soap (TV series)
Soap is an American sitcom that originally ran on ABC from 1977 to 1981.The show was created as a parody of daytime soap operas, presented as a weekly half-hour prime time comedy. Similar to a soap opera, the show's story was presented in a serial format and included melodramatic plot elements such...
, figuring prominently in the series' unresolved final episode in 1981. In 1984, he briefly became a main cast member of the then-new TV drama Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
where he played Lieutenant Lou Rodriguez; he asked to be written out of the series after just four episodes. More recently he had regular roles on the TV shows Zorro and Son, Something is Out There
Something is Out There
Something Is Out There is the title of a 1988 American science fiction television miniseries that aired on NBC, and a short-lived weekly series that followed in the fall of 1988....
, and Common Law.
In 1992, Sierra played drug dealer Felix Barbossa in the Bill Duke-directed Deep Cover
Deep Cover
Deep Cover is a 1992 crime thriller film starring Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum and directed by veteran actor Bill Duke. It is also notable for its theme song of the same name, composed by Dr...
, which also starred Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
and Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
. He also played a man named Villanazul in the low-budget 1998 movie The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit is a 1998 film set in East Los Angeles directed by Stuart Gordon, written by Ray Bradbury and starring Edward James Olmos, Joe Mantegna, Esai Morales, Clifton Collins Jr. , Sid Caesar, Howard Morris and Gregory Sierra...
. He also appeared as Corbin Entek in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
episode "Second Skin
Second Skin (DS9 episode)
"Second Skin" is an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the fifth episode of the third season. It maintains a fan rating of 4.1 out of 5 on the official Star Trek Website....
" and played a fugitive on the run with Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
in Papillon
Papillon
Papillon may refer to:* Papillon , a memoir by Henri Charrière about his imprisonment at a penal colony in French Guiana** Papillon , a 1973 film based on the book starring Steve McQueen...
.