The Devastating Death Of Austin Stoker

Austin Stoker, the prolific actor and stage performer, has died at the age of 92. As clarified by The Hollywood Reporter, Stoker was born on October 7, 1930, and passed on October 7, 2022, from renal failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His wife Robin told the publication, "His transition was beautiful." According to Austin Stoker Actor, Stoker was born in Trinidad, and his professional career started at the early age of eleven. When he was 16 years old, Stoker joined a local acting group named "The Whitehall Players," Four years later, his acumen with the acting group led to an invitation to a dance troupe known as the Holder Dance Company.

This dance troupe eventually landed Stoker in New York City, which netted him a contract position in 1954 in the Truman Capote and Harold Arlen Broadway show "House of Flowers," which is where he met his wife Enid Mosier, whose stage name was Vivian Bonnell, as noted by TV Guide. In addition, Stoker was also drafted into the US Army, which helped grant him citizenship. Stoker also appeared in many television shows and movies, and he was still accruing acting credits in 2022.

IMDb reports that Austin Stoker has 59 acting credits, with his very first endeavor being that of 1969's "Mod Squad." However, he is probably most famous for John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13" in 1976, where he plays the main character of Lieutenant Ethan Bishop. Forced to hold his ground and defend a police station against hardened criminals seeking out a civilian who took the law into their own hands, "Assault on Precinct 13" proved to be a popular movie, and it was recently remade with Laurence Fishburne in 2005. "Assault on Precinct 13" even inspired other creators to take a page from the film. In an interview on YouTube, Stoker said of his character, "I would describe him as, number one, not really an outgoing person, okay? He had a desk job as a police officer. He was not out on the street, you know, fighting with bad guys."

Besides "Assault on Precinct 13," Stoker also appears in 1973's "Battle for the Planet of the Apes," where he plays the role of Bruce MacDonald, who acts as the human assistant to the ape Caeser (Roddy McDowall). Stoker later returned for the animated television series "Return to the Planet of the Apes" in 1975, where he lent his voice acting talents to the role of Jeff Allen. Besides the "Apes" franchise, Stoker was also known for "Sheba, Baby," "Time Walker," "The Six Million Dollar Man," and the TV mini-series "Roots," where he plays Virgil Harvey in two episodes. His final acting credit is in the role of Reverend Bishop in 2022's "Give Till It Hurts."