Taurean Blacque Dies: Emmy-Nominated ‘Hill Street Blues’ Actor Was 82

Greg Evans
·2 min read
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Taurean Blacque, the Emmy-nominated actor best known for his role as the perennially behatted Detective Neal Washington on NBC’s influential 1980s hit police series Hill Street Blues, died today in Atlanta following a brief illness. He was 82.

His death was announced to Deadline by his family.

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A native of Newark, New Jersey, Blacque was born Herbert Middleton Jr. and began his show business career at New York’s famed and influential Negro Ensemble Company, and soon landed guest roles on such TV series as Sanford and Son, What’s Happening, Good Times, The Bob Newhart Show and Taxi, to name a few.

Daniel J. Travanti, Taurean Blacque, Kiel Martin, ‘HIll Street Blues’ - Credit: Everett Collection
Daniel J. Travanti, Taurean Blacque, Kiel Martin, ‘HIll Street Blues’ - Credit: Everett Collection

Everett Collection

In 1981 he joined the cast of NBC’s new Hill Street Blues, earning an Emmy nomination the following year for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series. He remained with the popular police procedural series during its entire run, through 1987.

Although the series, created by Steven Bochco-Michael Kozoll, was not a big hit — ranking only 27th among primetime series in its first season and never breaking the Top 20 in a three-network universe — the show would go on to become a major success. Tts influence was undeniable as critics swooned and the series racked eight Emmys and 98 nominations during its run.

Blacque’s character, Detective Neal Washington, was a respected, streetwise, no-nonsense veteran cop known from his ever-present toothpick and cap. He was partnered with boozy Detective J.D. LaRue (Kiel Martin), who had a unique take on police work that sometimes straddled the lines of police policy – or crossed over them. LaRue’s antics, including his myriad investment schemes, often tested Washington’s patience, but he remained loyal to a fault to his faulty partner.

Blacque was one of the 10 Hill Street Blues regulars who remained on the series for all seven seasons.

After the series ended, Blacque, In addition to maintaining a presence on the stage- he was active in the Atlanta Black Theater Company and North Carolina’s Black Theater Festival – was an original cast member (opposite Viveca Fox) of the groundbreaking 1989-91 TV soap opera Generations, the first daytime serial to focus on an African American family as part of its main story line.

In 1996, he was cast as Detective Wheeler on The WB’s short-lived primetime soap Savannah.

In addition to raising his two biological sons, Blacque adopted 11 children. He was named spokesman for the County of Los Angeles Adoption Services, and in 1989 was asked by President George H.W. Bush to become national spokesperson for adoption. One of Blacque’s sons pre-deceased him.

He is survived by 12 children, 18 grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Information concerning funeral services was not immediately available.

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