Georg Stanford Brown

Georg Stanford Brown is an American actor and director whose career spanned nearly five decades, beginning in the mid‑1960s and concluding in the mid‑2010s. Born on June 24, 1943 in Havana, Cuba to Jamaican immigrants, he moved with his family to Harlem at the age of seven and later relocated to Los Angeles at seventeen, a decision that set the stage for his lifelong involvement in the performing arts. After a brief stint as a high‑school dropout, he earned admission to Los Angeles City College, majored in Theater Arts, and subsequently attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, working as a janitor to fund his tuition while honing his craft. His early break came when he appeared in Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival and later shared the screen with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in The Comedians, experiences that launched him onto an international path that included a formative period in Africa and a serendipitous meeting with author Alex Haley. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s he accumulated a varied filmography, delivering memorable performances as Henri Philipot, Dr. Willard in Bullitt, and Tom Harvey in the seminal miniseries Roots and its sequel, while also starring as Officer Terry Webster on the ABC series The Rookies from 1972 to 1976. In addition to acting, Brown pioneered a directing career after Aaron Spelling encouraged him to try behind the camera; he directed episodes of The Rookies, Hill Street Blues, and Cagney & Lacey, earning a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing in 1986. His later work included starring roles in Stir Crazy, House Party 2, and the Showtime series Linc's, as well as continued directorial efforts that showcased his ability to blend gritty realism with nuanced humor. Married to actress Tyne Daly from 1966 until 1990, the couple raised three daughters, and Brown’s legacy endures through his contributions to both acting and television direction, marking him as a versatile and influential figure in American entertainment history.