Celebrity Nooz: Gregory Sierra

Gregory Sierra (Actor) as Detective Sergeant Chano - Barney Miller

Updated: 5/22/2008

Name: Gregory Sierra

Born: January 25, 1941, New York, New York

Claim To Fame: To me I will always know Gregory for his role on 'Barney Miller' as Detective Sergeant Chano Amenguale. Of course he's equally remembered as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor on Sanford and Son, where his character was often the brunt of racist insults and jokes via the show's main character, Fred G. Sanford (portrayed by Redd Foxx).

Family Life: Have not been able to find anything on his family life.

Info: He also starred as a Jewish radical on the TV series 'All in the Family', who was in the Hebrew Defense League, 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 hanging out in the neighborhood during which they spray-painted a swastika on the Archie's door.

Trivia: If you've seen movies with Gregory in them, you probably have realized he gets killed in most of them.

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.

Milestones
1970 Film debut as gorilla sergeant, "Beneath the Planet of the Apes";
1970 TV movie debut, police sergeant, "Weekend of Terror" (ABC)
1972 Julio Fuentes, "Sanford and Son"
1973 Antonio, "Papillon"
1974 Doomed bartender, "The Towering Inferno"
1978 Starred in "A.E.S. Hudson Street" series
1988 Starred, "Something is Out There" miniseries
1990 Co-starred, "Donor" TV movie
1992 Co-starred, "Deep Cover"
1993 In "Hot Shots! Part Deux"
1994 Co-starred, "A Low Down Dirty Shame"
1996 Returned to series TV as co-star in the short-lived sitcom "Common Law"
Carlos Valdez, "SOAP"

Six Degrees:
Gregory Sierra was in 'The Towering Inferno' with Paul Newman who was in 'Empire Falls' with Ed Harris who was in 'Apollo 13' with Kevin Bacon.

Where Are They Now: Well I've had difficult times finding info on stars in the past, but Gregory has proved to be the most difficult.

The last credit he has is from a 2006 movie. Before that he hadn't appeared in anything since 1999.

There was no response to our letter from his management. Who knows maybe he's retired, but you think we would've gotten a response.

If you want to try your hand at writing to Gregory, here's the info:

Write To Gregory Sierra:
Gregory Sierra
c/o The Artists Agency
1180 South Beverly Drive
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90035

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