(URR) Actor Ron Glass, whose most famous role was that of fastidious Detective Ron Harris of the 12th Precinct in the magnificent sitcom series Barney Miller, has died at 71.
Ron Glass was an accomplished actor, appearing in dozens of television series and programs, and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Detective Harris in the underrated Barney Miller. Despite the passage of forty years, give or take, each episode of that series remains as entertaining as the day it was aired. The humor of the caricature and absurdity of life inside the drab confines of the station of Greenwich Village's Finest had a gentility and intellectual aspect that is almost entirely absent from today's mean-spirited and crude insult that passes for "humor".
The series, which ran for seven seasons (1975-82) featured such talent as Jack Soo, Abe Vigoda, Max Gail, James Gregory, Hal Linden, and Steve Landesberg, each playing quirky and offbeat characters which made every episode worth the watch. Chief among them, however, was Glass as the impeccably dressed and groomed Harris.
In one memorable scene, in which Captain Miller hears that Harris had pursued on foot and wrestled a suspect to the ground, he is surprised to find Harris looking dapper in his tie, vest, and jacket, like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine.
Barney says "After all that, I thought you'd be a little more, I dunno, disheveled." To which Harris replies with flawless deadpan, "Can't do it, Barn." Brilliance.
Ron Glass, RIP You will be missed.
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