Caribbean American Actor From ‘Roots’ Dead At 92

By NAN Staff Writer

NEWS AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Oct. 12, 2022: Austin Stoker, the Caribbean-American actor best known for his role as Virgil in the TV mini-series ‘Roots,’ and as Lt. Ethan Bishop in John Carpenter’s 1976 film ‘Assault on Precinct 13,’ has died. He was 92.

Stoker was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on October 7, 1930. He started his career on stage, including the 1954 Broadway production of Truman Capote’s House of Flowers, where he met his future wife, Enid Mosier (acting name Vivian Bonnell).

CIRCA 1975: Actress Pam Grier and actor Austin Stoker on set of the movie “‘Sheba, Baby.” (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Prior to his role as Lt. Bishop, Stoker appeared in several blaxploitation films, often playing police detectives. Among these films were Abby (1974), Combat Cops (1974), and Sheba, Baby (1975), in which he played Pam Grier’s love interest. Some of Stoker’s other notable acting roles were in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), Horror High (1974), Airport 1975 (1974) and Victory at Entebbe (1976).

Stoker was also known to Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans for his role as Dr. Ken Melrose in the 1982 B-movie, Time Walker, in which he appeared with Darwin Joston, his co-star from Assault on Precinct 13.

Stoker passed away on Friday, October 7, his 92nd birthday, as confirmed by his wife, Robin Stoker. He was said to have died due to renal failure and was surrounded by his loved ones.

The late actor is survived by his wife of over 40 years, his daughter Tiffany, his son Origen, and his two grandsons, Marcus and Austin.