Peter Brocco(1903-1992)
- Actor
Prolific, sharp-featured American character actor of somewhat skeletal
and dishevelled appearance, accentuated later in his career by thinning
hair and a scraggly goatee. A former theology student, Brocco began his
career playing leading roles in stock theatre. He subsequently honed
his craft touring France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, before
returning to the U.S. in 1947, eventually joining the Federal Theater
Group. On films from as early as 1932, he was at his most effective
portraying eccentrics, scientists, small-time crooks, alcoholics, or
nervous, downtrodden little men. His particular forte lay in the genre
of science-fiction, where he graced the small screen on numerous
occasions as assorted victims
(The Outer Limits (1963),
The Time Tunnel (1966),
The Invaders (1967)) or aliens
(Lost in Space (1965),
Star Trek (1966),
The Twilight Zone (1959)).
His occasional film appearances include a dementia patent in
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
and a rare starring role in the black comedy
Homebodies (1974), late in his career.
As a liberal-minded individual, Brocco was briefly blacklisted during
the McCarthy era, but this did not prove detrimental to his career in
the long run.
