'Sanford & Son,' 'Barney Miller' Actor Gregory Sierra Dead at 83

Gregory Sierra, a familiar face on '70s TV thanks to plum roles on "Sanford and Son" and "Barney Miller," died January 4 in Laguna Woods, California, after battling cancer. He was 83. Sierra's death was confirmed to THR by family spokesman Rick Voll. Born January 25, 1937, in NYC, he had described his early life as tough -- abandoned as a child by his parents, he was raised by his aunt and considered joining a gang before a chance encounter pointed him toward acting. While hanging out with a fri...