Austin Stoker(1930-2022)

Leading and supporting African-American actor, Austin Stoker has been recognized since the '70s. Born and raised in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, he attributes his affinity for the performing arts to being - since age 6 - a devoted participant in the over 200-year-old Trinidadian carnival - reportedly "The World's Most Colorful Festival". At 16, Austin's dream was to attend London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. That dream never came true. But as chance would have it, he was invited to join the Geoffrey Holder Dance Group in his hometown in Trinidad, which brought him to New York and landed in a Broadway show playing the steel drum, the musical instrument invented in Trinidad. As an all-around percussionist and singer, Austin worked with the group steadily for three years in concerts and clubs, until he was drafted into the US Army. Upon his return to civilian life, he became a permanent US resident and eventually began his dramatic training at New York's HB Studio, culminating in a scholarship under the tutelage of the distinguished exegete and author Uta Hagen. While performing on-screen, he has also been active consistently on the stage as well. His first major role on-screen was Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) playing MacDonald. He later returned for the short-lived TV series Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975) and a short role in Airport 1975 (1974). His parts, however, got him the attention of a couple of "blaxploitation" directors of the early 70s. He took the lead role in the exploitation thriller The Get-Man (1974) and Abby (1974) and as Pam Grier's undercover sidekick and lover in the hit film 'Sheba, Baby' (1975), all three films directed by the late William Girdler. But Austin has probably mostly been recognized and remembered for his lead performance as Lt. Ethan Bishop whose police station is besieged by a gang in John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). He eventually took co-star and supporting roles in the late '70s to the early '80s in films like Time Walker (1982) and did numerous guest appearances on popular television shows. Although Austin's activity in films in recent years has been less than he would prefer, he continues to work on stage.