Biography
Taurean Blacque (born Herbert Middleton Jr.) was an American actor known for his work in television and on stage. Born in Newark, New Jersey, on 10 May 1940, he trained and performed at New York’s New Federal Theatre and the Negro Ensemble Company before moving into television guest roles in the 1970s.
He gained prominence as Detective Neal Washington on the NBC series Hill Street Blues (1981–1987), appearing in all 144 episodes and receiving a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1982. His other credits include Rocky II (1979), Oliver & Company (1988), DeepStar Six (1989) and Fled (1996), as well as stage productions such as Amen Corner, for which he won a local NAACP Image Award in 1985.
Blacque was a national spokesman for adoptive services after adopting ten children in addition to his two biological sons; President George H. W. Bush appointed him to the role in 1989. He later lived and worked in Atlanta, Georgia, where he died on 21 July 2022.
