Actor Gregory Sierra, best known for his roles in “Sanford and Son” and “Barney Miller,” died on January 4 from cancer, his widow Helene Tabor confirmed to CNN Friday. Sierra’s widow, Helene, said Saturday in a phone interview with The Associated Press that the actor died on … Actor Gregory Sierra, best known for his roles in "Sanford and Son" and "Barney Miller," died on January 4 from cancer, his widow Helene Tabor confirmed to CNN Friday. “When I was a baby, we were a typical Puerto Rican family,” he said. Best known for his performances on shows like Sanford And Son, Barney Miller, and in regular TV roles throughout the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, Sierra played more than 100 parts across his long career. He played an Armenian on Kung Fu, an Italian on Banacek, a Native American on Gunsmoke and a Hawaiian on Hawaii Five-O. He was known for his performances as Detective Sergeant Chano Amenguale on Barney Miller and as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbour of Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son.The reason behind his demise is … “He was an amazing human being, different than any other person, male or female, that I have ever known,” Helene told the AP. He was 83. He attended the Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception, a Brooklyn prep school for boys aiming for the priesthood. He moved to Los Angeles, made his onscreen debut in a nonspeaking role as a jewelry fence on a 1969 episode of It Takes a Thief and then appeared on other shows like Medical Center, The High Chaparral, Mod Squad and The Flying Nun. His death was reported by ExtraTV. Gregory Sierra, known to all classic TV fans for his groundbreaking roles on Sanford and Son and Barney Miller, died January 4 in Laguna Woods, California.. Sierra, 83, had battled cancer. For 35 episodes, Gregory Sierra introduced viewers to Chano. Nowhere was this better displayed than in the 1975 episode “The Hero,” in which his character kills two suspects while preventing a robbery. It’s believed to be the only episode of the famed sitcom to end with stark silence rather than applause from the studio audience. One of the many familiar faces of television from the 1970’s has passed away this month. He was truly a man’s man and women fell in love with him all the time.”. NEW YORK — Gregory Sierra, who had memorable roles in the 1970s sitcoms “Barney Miller" and “Sanford and Son," has died after battling cancer. Introduced in the second-season episode “The Puerto Ricans Are Coming,” Julio was an easy target for the crotchety, bigoted Fred (Redd Foxx). Gregory Sierra, Actor on 'Barney Miller' and 'Sanford and Son,' Dies at 83 3:51 PM PST 1/22/2021 by Chris Koseluk FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Photofest Gregory Sierra The New York native also portrayed a Jewish vigilante on a sobering episode of 'All in the Family.' Gregory Sierra was an American actor. Gregory Sierra, the actor known for his roles on “Barney Miller” and “Sanford and Son,” has died at the age of 83, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gregory Sierra, who is remembered for his roles on sitcoms Sanford and Son and Barney Miller, died on January 4 from cancer. Hudson Street debuted in 1977 but was canceled after six episodes. Gregory Sierra, the actor known for his roles on “Barney Miller” and “Sanford and Son,” has died at the age of 83, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Gregory Sierra, who was a key part of two major 1970s sitcoms as Julio Fuentes on Sanford and Son and Sgt. Sierra died Jan. 4 in Laguna Woods, California, after a battle with cancer, family spokesman Rick Voll told The Hollywood Reporter. Eventually, he worked with the National Shakespeare Company and in the New York Shakespeare Festival, appeared in off-Broadway productions and, in one brief brush with Broadway, was a standby in The Ninety Day Mistress in 1967. Part Deux (1993), A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994), Vampires (1998) and Mafia! (CNN) — Actor Gregory Sierra, best known for his roles in “Sanford and Son” and “Barney Miller,” died on January 4 from cancer, his widow Helene Tabor confirmed to CNN Friday. ‘We’ll take Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island too …’ ” Fred complains to his son, Lamont (Demond Wilson), when he learns who’s moving in next door. “We had been together six years, and her death leaves me feeling guilty as well as feeling the grief.”, Born on Jan. 25, 1937, Sierra was raised by his aunt after his parents abandoned him when he was 6. Actor Gregory Sierra died on Jan. 4 in California “according to Orange County records.” His death was recently confirmed through a family spokesperson.. From KIRO-TV Seattle: Sierra played Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor of Fred Sanford on “Sanford and Son.” After he left that series, Sierra played one of the original detectives working out of the diverse 12th Precinct in Greenwich Village on ABC’s Barney Miller, joining Hal Linden, Abe Vigoda, Ron Glass, Max Gail and Jack Soo when the show premiered in 1975. NEW YORK — Gregory Sierra, who had memorable roles in the 1970s sitcoms "Barney Miller" and "Sanford and Son," has died after battling cancer. The movie star, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was born on Jauary. Sierra modeled Julio on Sanford and Sun after an uncle who was “a very jolly and very nice man,” he once said. Gregory Sierra, ideal regarded for his roles as Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amanguale on Barney Miller and Julio Fuentes on Sanford and Son, has died at the age of 83. “I think Barney Miller is much more real than any other cop show,” Sierra said in an interview for the 1976 book TV Talk 2: Exploring TV Territory. “He was quite wonderful, and my heart is broken into 400 million pieces,” Tabor said. His colleagues believe he deserves a commendation, but a distraught Chano feels otherwise, and he breaks down and cries. Sierra appeared on 12 episodes over three seasons. American actor Gregory Sierra has passed away earlier this month. Deserted by his parents, Sierra was brought up by an aunt in a rough, predominantly Irish neighbourhood from the age of six. Kojak never worries. Gregory Joseph Sierra (January 25, 1937 – January 4, 2021) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amengual on Barney Miller and as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son. Sierra was best known for co-starring on the first two seasons of “Barney Miller” as the emotionally volatile Sgt. The more Fred tried to get under Julio’s skin, the more Julio got the better of him. Meanwhile, he was landing supporting roles in such features as Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Getting Straight (1970), Papillon (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974) and the long-gestating Orson Welles project The Other Side of the Wind, finally released in 2018. Sierra went on to play such recurring characters as ADA Alvarez on Hill Street Blues, Commandant Paco Pico on Zorro and Son, Det. Lanky, balding, intense American character actor of Puerto Rican ancestry, born in New York's Spanish Harlem. Chano was written out of the series at the end of the second season so that Sierra could star in a new sitcom from Barney Miller creator Danny Arnold, this one set in a frenetic New York emergency room.