Terry Carter was an African-American actor, filmmaker, and pioneering TV news anchor best known for roles like Sgt. Joe Broadhurst in McCloud and Colonel Tigh in Battlestar Galactica. Born John Everett DeCoste on December 16, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, he died on April 23, 2024, at age 95.

Early Career

Carter broke barriers as one of the first Black actors with a regular role on U.S. television, playing Pvt. Sugie Sugarman in 91 episodes of The Phil Silvers Show from 1955 to 1959. From 1965 to 1968, he became the first Black TV news anchor in New England at WBZ-TV in Boston, also serving as a film and theater critic.

Notable Acting Roles

• Starred as NYPD Sgt. Joe Broadhurst alongside Dennis Weaver in McCloud for seven seasons starting in 1970.

• Portrayed Colonel Tigh, second-in-command in the original Battlestar Galactica.

• Appeared in films like Foxy Brown (1974) as Pam Grier's boyfriend and Brother on the Run (1973).

Production and Legacy

Carter founded Meta/4 Productions in 1975, creating documentaries such as the Emmy-nominated A Duke Named Ellington (1988) about jazz legend Duke Ellington. He served on the boards of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, advancing positive media images through his Council for Positive Images. Note: A separate Terry Carter (1959–2015), a music promoter killed in a 2015 Compton incident involving Suge Knight, is unrelated.