Gregory Sierra

Gregory Joseph Sierra (January 25, 1937 – January 4, 2021) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amengual on Barney Miller, Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son, and as Marruja in The Castaway Cowboy (1974). Early life Gregory Joseph Sierra was born on January 25, 1937, in Manhattan. He was raised in Spanish Harlem by an aunt as his parents did not take charge of his care. After serving in the Air Force, Sierra went with a friend to an acting school audition in Manhattan. Sierra was only there to support his friend, but after performing some improvisation he was admitted instead of his friend. Career He began his career on the stage, touring with the National Shakespeare Company, and in 1967 appeared as the Duke of Austria in King John at the New York Shakespeare Festival. He then moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s to work in film and television. Sierra's film credits include The Flying Nun (1969), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Papillon (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974), The Prisoner of Zenda (1979) and The Trouble with Spies (1987).