Austin Stoker, the Trinidadian-American actor best known for his starring role in John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13, has died at the age of 92.
News of his death was announced on Facebook by Robin Stoker, his wife of 43 years.
Stoker died of renal failure at the Cedars-Sinai medical centre in Los Angeles on Friday 7 October, surrounded by loved ones.
Born Alphonso Marshall in Trinidad on 7 October 1930, Stoker moved to New York to pursue a career as an actor after serving in the US military.
He had a prominent role in 1973’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes, playing Macdonald, a human who serves Roddy McDowall’s ape Caesar.
For many, though, Stoker is best remembered for his role in Assault on Presinct 13. In the groundbreaking thriller, Stoker played Ethan Bishop, a cop who defends a police station under seige from a violent street gang.
In 1977, Stoker also had a role in the seminal ABC miniseries Roots, as the father of Olivia Cole‘s character Mathilda.
Stoker’s other projects included the films Sheba, Baby and Horror High, and TV series such as The Six Million Dollar Man and The Incredible Hulk.
He continued working into old age, with his most recent acting credit coming in this year’s Give Till It Hurts.
Stoker is survived by his wife, Robin, his children, Tiffany and Origen, and his grandsons, Marcus and Austin.
