Taurean Blacque, Hill Street Blues and Generations Star, Dead at 82

Taurean Blacque, who starred in NBC's Hill Street Blues and Generations, has died. He was 82.

The actor's family confirmed to Deadline that Blacque died on Thursday in Atlanta following a brief illness.

Blacque is best known for playing the streetwise, no-nonsense, respected veteran Detective Neal Washington on all seven seasons of NBC's acclaimed cop show Hill Street Blues. In 1982, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role.

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The actor was chosen by series creator Steven Bochco and producer/director Gregory Hoblit to say "Previously on Hill Street Blues" over clips of the previous week's show, according to The Guardian. Blacque told the publication in 2016, "they liked my melodic voice," referring to Bochco and Hoblit.

He also starred alongside Vivica A. Fox in the original cast of NBC's daytime soap opera Generations, which was the first series to include a Black family in the main storyline from its inception, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Born Herbert Middleton Jr. in Newark, New Jersey, Blacque started acting at New York's Negro Ensemble Company, where he performed in plays such as Orrin, Welcome to Black River, accoring to THR. He also performed Off-Broadway in So Nice, They Named it Twice.

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On how he settled on his stage name, the actor told Playboy magazine: "My heritage is black – spelled Q-U-E – and I'm a Taurus. I decided I needed a name change I could relate to. It looks good on a marquee and never fails to get attention in casting offices."

In 1976, he made his onscreen debut in an episode of What's Happening!!. From there, he appeared in guest roles on other TV shows like Sanford and Son, The Tony Randall Show, Charlie's Angels, Good Times, The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi and Dream On.

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His film credits include Rocky II, House Calls and the animated Oliver & Company. He also played another cop, Detective Michael Wheeler, on WB's drama Savannah, which was only on air for two seasons in 1996 and 1997.

Along with his involvement in the Atlanta Black Theater Company and North Carolina's Black Theater Festival, Blacque was asked by President George H.W. Bush to serve as a national spokesperson for adoption in 1989, per THR. He was also a spokesperson for adoption services in Los Angeles County.

Blacque is survived by 12 children, 18 grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.