American Actor. He was a longtime prolific character actor who will best be remembered for his recurring roles in 'Sanford & Son' and 'Barney Miller.' Born in New York's Spanish Harlem, Sierra attended the Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Brooklyn. After school, he worked with the National Shakespeare Company and in the New York Shakespeare Festival before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film and stage career that ultimately spanned five decades. His breakthrough came when he was cast as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor to Redd Foxx's Fred Sanford on 'Sanford and Son.' After he left that series, Sierra played one of the original detectives working out of the diverse 12th Precinct on 'Barney Miller,' but was written out of the series after the second season to star in 'A.E.S. Hudson Street,' a sitcom about a frantic emergency room, but it lasted just six episodes. Among other TV shows he appeared in were 'All in the Family,' 'Hill Street Blues,' 'Miami Vice' and 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' His film credits included 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes,' 'Papillon' and 'The Towering Inferno.'
American Actor. He was a longtime prolific character actor who will best be remembered for his recurring roles in 'Sanford & Son' and 'Barney Miller.' Born in New York's Spanish Harlem, Sierra attended the Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception in Brooklyn. After school, he worked with the National Shakespeare Company and in the New York Shakespeare Festival before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film and stage career that ultimately spanned five decades. His breakthrough came when he was cast as Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor to Redd Foxx's Fred Sanford on 'Sanford and Son.' After he left that series, Sierra played one of the original detectives working out of the diverse 12th Precinct on 'Barney Miller,' but was written out of the series after the second season to star in 'A.E.S. Hudson Street,' a sitcom about a frantic emergency room, but it lasted just six episodes. Among other TV shows he appeared in were 'All in the Family,' 'Hill Street Blues,' 'Miami Vice' and 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.' His film credits included 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes,' 'Papillon' and 'The Towering Inferno.'
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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