Ron Glass

Template:Short description Template:Infobox person Ronald Earle Glass (July 10, 1945 – November 25, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as literary Det. Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982), and as the spiritual shepherd, Shepherd Book, in the science fiction series Firefly (2002) and its sequel film Serenity (2005).

Early life

Glass was born in Evansville, Indiana, the son of Lethia and Crump Glass.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After graduating from St. Francis Seminary in 1964, Glass attended the University of Evansville, where he received a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in drama and literature. Years later, the university awarded him its Medal of Honor. Glass said in 2007 he knew while he was in college that he wanted to act. With a teacher's encouragement, he performed in a play and went on to an acting career.Template:Citation needed

Career

File:Barney Miller cast 1977.jpg

Glass (second from the left) with cast of Barney Miller, 1977

Glass made his stage debut at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before moving to Hollywood. His earliest TV appearances include episodes of Sanford and Son in 1972, an episode of Hawaii Five-O in 1973, an episode of Maude in 1973, an episode of All in the Family in 1973, an episode of The Bob Newhart Show, and episodes of Good Times in 1974. In 1975, he landed the role of Det. Ron Harris in Barney Miller, which ran until 1982.

The following season, Glass co-starred with Demond Wilson on television in a remake of The Odd Couple, called The New Odd Couple. On December 13, 1985, he played a soul-collecting devil opposite Sherman Hemsley's mathematics professor in an episode of the revived Twilight Zone series. In 1992, he co-starred in the sitcom Rhythm and Blues, a kind of "black WKRPTemplate:-", playing "the fifth Top" opposite Roger Kabler.

In 1996, Glass was cast as uptight history teacher Roland Felcher in the NBC sitcom Mr. Rhodes opposite Tom Rhodes. In 1999, he appeared in two episodes of the NBC sitcom Friends as Russell, Ross Geller's lawyer. After that, Glass appeared in dozens of television series, including sitcoms such as Family Matters and the series Teen Angel, where he played God's cousin Rod. He had a guest appearance in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Nightingale". He was a series regular in the science fiction series Firefly (2002) and the sequel film Serenity (2005), in which he played Derrial Book, a Christian<ref name="bookbio">Whedon, Firefly: The Official Companion Volume One, 166.</ref> "Shepherd" with a mysterious past. Glass provided the voice of Randy Carmichael for the Nickelodeon series All Grown Up! and Rugrats, and the character Garth in the video game Fable II. In 2008 he appeared in the film Lakeview Terrace alongside Samuel L. Jackson and starred in the 2010 version of Death at a Funeral as Duncan.Template:Citation needed

Personal life and death

Glass never married, and though raised Catholic became a devout Buddhist, and a member of Soka Gakkai International.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died of respiratory failure on November 25, 2016, at the age of 71.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is interred at the Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.

Filmography

Film

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Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1974	Template:Sortname	Quintus
1983	Sound of Sunshine – Sound of Rain	Narrator	Short film	<ref name="TVGf">Template:Cite web</ref>
1988	Deep Space	Jerry Merris		<ref name="TCMf">Template:Cite web</ref>
1995	Houseguest	Dr. Derek Bond		<ref name="TCMf" />
1996	It's My Party	Dr. David Wahl		<ref name="TCMf" />
1997	Back in Business	Allen Smith		<ref name="TVGf" />
1999	Unbowed	President Duquesne		<ref name="TCMf" />
	Deal of a Lifetime	Mr. Creighton		<ref name="TCMf" />
2001	Recess: School's Out	Dr. Lazenby / Tech #2 (voice)	Direct-to-video	<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
2005	Serenity	Shepherd Book		<ref name="TCMf" />
2008	Lakeview Terrace	Harold Perreau		<ref name="AFIf">Template:Cite web</ref>
2010	Death at a Funeral	Duncan		<ref name="TCMf" />
2012	Strange Frame	Philo Grenman		<ref name="btva" />

Television

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Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1972–1974	Sanford and Son	Hucklebuck / Herman Edwards	2 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
1973	All in the Family	Jack	Episode: "Everybody Tells the Truth"	<ref name="RTf">Template:Cite web</ref>
	Beg, Borrow, or Steal	Ray Buren	TV film	<ref name="TCMf" />
	Shirts/Skins	Mr. Brown	TV film	<ref name="TCMf" />
	Maude	Whitnauer Fulton	Episode: "Florida's Affair"	<ref name="RTf" />
	Hawaii Five-O	J. Paul	Episode: "Tricks Are Not Treats"	<ref name="TVGf" />
	Template:Sortname	Elevator Repairman	Episode: "Fit, Fat and Forty One"	<ref name="RTf" />
	Griff	Dietrich	Episode: "Elephant in a Cage"	<ref name="TVGf" />
	Insight	Courtney Rickell	Episode: "Reunion"	<ref name="TVGf" />
1974	Template:Sortname	Mark Borden	Episode: "The Case of the Tortured Titan"	<ref name="TVGf" />
	Change at 125th Street	John Morse	TV short film	<ref name="TCMf" />
	Good Times	Mr. Pearson / Henry Anderson	2 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
	Template:Sortname	Earl	Episode: "Rampage"	<ref name="RTf" />
1975	Let's Switch!	LaRue Williams	TV film	<ref name="TCMf" />
	Insight	Courtney Rickell	Episode: "Class Reunion"	<ref name="TVGf" />
	Foster and Laurie	Doctor #2	TV film	<ref name="TVGf" />
	When Things Were Rotten	Black Knight	Episode: "This Lance for Hire"	<ref name="TVGf" />
1975–1982	Barney Miller	Det. Ron Harris	Regular role (164 episodes)	<ref name="RTf" />
1976	Template:Sortname	Arlen Washington	Episode: "The Thrill Killers"	<ref name="TVGf" />
1978	Crash	Jerry Grant	TV film	<ref name="TCMf" />
1981	Hart to Hart	Conductor Slattery	Episode: "Hartland Express"	<ref name="RTf" />
1982–1983	Template:Sortname	Felix Unger	Regular role (18 episodes)	<ref name="RTf" />
1985	Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster	Midnight Brewster	TV film	<ref name="TCMf" />
	Template:Sortname	Demon	Episode: "I of Newton"	<ref name="TVGf" />
1986	Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star	Eric Brenner	TV film	<ref name="TCMf" />
1987	227	Robert Stone	2 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
1988	Sonny Spoon	Template:Unk	Episode: "Deuces Wild"	<ref name="TVGf" />
1989	Family Matters	Buddy Goodrich	Episode: "False Arrest"	<ref name="TVGf" />
1989–1991	Amen	Jason Lockwood	3 episodes	<ref name="TVGf" />
1991	The New Adam-12	Logan Mills	Episode: "D.A.R.E."	<ref name="TVGf" />
1992	Murder, She Wrote	Lt. Hanrahan	Episode: "Incident in Lot #7"	<ref name="RTf" />
	Template:Sortname	Deacon Hudson	Episode: "The Sneakin' Deacon"	<ref name="RTf" />
1992–1993	Rhythm & Blues	Don Phillips	Main role (13 episodes)	<ref name="TVGf" />
1993	Designing Women	Punch	Episode: "It's Not So Easy Being Green"	<ref name="RTf" />
1993–2001	Rugrats	Randy Carmichael (voice)	6 episodes	<ref name="btva" />
1994	Aladdin	Kwanseer (voice)	Episode: "Bad Mood Rising"	<ref name="TVGf" />
1996–1997	Mr. Rhodes	Ronald Felcher	Regular role (17 episodes)	<ref name="RTf" />
1997	Superman: The Animated Series	News Anchorman (voice)	Episode: "Blasts from the Past"	<ref name="btva" />
	Template:Sortname	Judge Kent	Episode: "Reasonable Doubts"	<ref name="RTf" />
1997–1998	Teen Angel	Rod	Regular role (17 episodes)	<ref name="RTf" />
1999	Incognito	Marcus Courtland	TV film	<ref name="TCMf" />
	Twice in a Lifetime	Charlie Summers / Charlie Winters	Episode: "The Blame Game"	<ref name="RTf" />
	Friends	Russell	2 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
2000	Jack & Jill	Mr. Small	Episode: "Animal Planet: Part 1"	<ref name="TVGf" />
	Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane	Prof. Bradford	Episode: "Too Much Pressure"	<ref name="RTf" />
	Star Trek: Voyager	Loken	Episode: "Nightingale"	<ref name="RTf" />
2001	Rude Awakening	Joseph	Episode: "Ode to Billie and Joe"	<ref name="TVGf" />
	Yes, Dear	Dr. Bradley	Episode: "The Big Snip"	<ref name="RTf" />
	Template:Sortname	Graham Redmond	Episode: "Pilot"	<ref name="RTf" />
	Template:Sortname	The Talking Baby (voice)	4 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
2002	Firefly	Shepherd Derrial Book	Main role (14 episodes)	<ref name="RTf" />
2004	Template:Sortname	Barry	Episode: "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here"	<ref name="TVGf" />
2004–2008	All Grown Up!	Randy Carmichael (voice)	12 episodes	<ref name="btva" />
2006	Secret History of Religion: Doomsday – Book of Revelation	Reenactor	TV film
	Secret History of Religion: Knights Templar	Reenactor	TV film
2006–2007	Shark	Judge Stewart Fenton	3 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
2008	Dirty Sexy Money	D.A. Dennis Ford	2 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
2011	CSI: NY	Colby Glass	Episode: "To What End?"	<ref name="RTf" />
2013, 2014	Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.	Dr. Streiten	2 episodes	<ref name="RTf" />
2013	Major Crimes	Clayton Carter	Episode: "There's No Place Like Home"	<ref name="RTf" />
2014	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Paul Lomax	Episode: "Killer Moves" (Final role)	<ref name="RTf" />

Video games

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Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
2008	Fable II	Garth		<ref name="btva" />
2014	Ancient Space	Colonel Edwards / Professor Risseau	Voice (final role)

External links

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• Ron Glass at Apple TV+
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• Template:Find a Grave