Ron Glass
Template:Short description Template:DMCA
Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.
Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for deprecated parameters".
Ronald Earle Glass (July 10, 1945 – November 25, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as literary Detective Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and as the Shepherd Book, in the science fiction series Firefly (2002) and its sequel film Serenity (2005).
Early life
Glass was born in Evansville, Indiana, the son of Lethia and Crump Glass.[1]
After graduating from St. Francis Seminary in 1964, Glass attended the University of Evansville, where he received a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in drama and literature. Years later, the university awarded him its Medal of Honor. Glass said in 2007 he knew while he was in college that he wanted to act. With the encouragement of his teacher, Dudley Thomas, he performed in a play and went on to an acting career.[2]
Career
Glass made his stage debut at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, before moving to Hollywood. His earliest TV appearances include episodes of Sanford and Son in 1972, an episode of Hawaii Five-O in 1973, an episode of Maude in 1973, an episode of All in the Family in 1973, an episode of The Bob Newhart Show, and episodes of Good Times in 1974.[3] In 1975, he landed the role of Detective Ron Harris in Barney Miller, which ran until 1982.[4]
The following season, Glass co-starred with Demond Wilson on television in a remake of The Odd Couple, called The New Odd Couple. On December 13, 1985, he played a soul-collecting devil opposite Sherman Hemsley's mathematics professor in an episode of the revived Twilight Zone series.[3] In 1992, he co-starred in the sitcom Rhythm and Blues.[4]
In 1996, Glass was cast as uptight history teacher Roland Felcher in the NBC sitcom Mr. Rhodes opposite Tom Rhodes. In 1999, he appeared in two episodes of the NBC sitcom Friends as Russell, Ross Geller's lawyer.[4] After that, Glass appeared in dozens of television series, including sitcoms such as Family Matters and the series Teen Angel, where he played God's cousin Rod. He had a guest appearance in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Nightingale".[4] He was a series regular in the science fiction series Firefly (2002) and the sequel film Serenity (2005), in which he played Derrial Book, a Christian Shepherd (Latin: Pastor) with a mysterious past.[5][4] Glass provided the voice of Randy Carmichael for the Nickelodeon series All Grown Up! and Rugrats, and the character Garth in the video game Fable II.[6][7] In 2008 he appeared in the film Lakeview Terrace alongside Samuel L. Jackson and starred in the 2010 version of Death at a Funeral as Duncan.[8]
Personal life and death
Glass never married, and though raised Catholic became a devout Buddhist, and a member of Soka Gakkai International.[9][10] He died of respiratory failure on November 25, 2016, at the age of 71.[11][12] He is interred at the Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Quintus | ||
| 1983 | Sound of Sunshine – Sound of Rain | Narrator | Short film | [13] |
| 1988 | Deep Space | Jerry Merris | [14] | |
| 1995 | Houseguest | Dr. Derek Bond | [14] | |
| 1996 | It's My Party | Dr. David Wahl | [14] | |
| 1997 | Back in Business | Allen Smith | [13] | |
| 1999 | Unbowed | President Duquesne | [14] | |
| Deal of a Lifetime | Mr. Creighton | [14] | ||
| 2001 | Recess: School's Out | Dr. Lazenby / Tech #2 (voice) | Direct-to-video | [15] |
| 2005 | Serenity | Shepherd Book | [14] | |
| 2008 | Lakeview Terrace | Harold Perreau | [16] | |
| 2010 | Death at a Funeral | Duncan | [14] | |
| 2012 | Strange Frame | Philo Grenman | [15] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972–1974 | Sanford and Son | Hucklebuck / Herman Edwards | 2 episodes | [17] |
| 1973 | All in the Family | Jack | Episode: "Everybody Tells the Truth" | [17] |
| Beg, Borrow, or Steal | Ray Buren | TV film | [14] | |
| Shirts/Skins | Mr. Brown | TV film | [14] | |
| Maude | Whitnauer Fulton | Episode: "Florida's Affair" | [17] | |
| Hawaii Five-O | J. Paul | Episode: "Tricks Are Not Treats" | [13] | |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Elevator Repairman | Episode: "Fit, Fat and Forty One" | [17] | |
| Griff | Dietrich | Episode: "Elephant in a Cage" | [13] | |
| Insight | Courtney Rickell | Episode: "Reunion" | [13] | |
| 1974 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Mark Borden | Episode: "The Case of the Tortured Titan" | [13] |
| Change at 125th Street | John Morse | TV short film | [14] | |
| Good Times | Mr. Pearson / Henry Anderson | 2 episodes | [17] | |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Earl | Episode: "Rampage" | [17] | |
| 1975 | Let's Switch! | LaRue Williams | TV film | [14] |
| Insight | Courtney Rickell | Episode: "Class Reunion" | [13] | |
| Foster and Laurie | Doctor #2 | TV film | [13] | |
| When Things Were Rotten | Black Knight | Episode: "This Lance for Hire" | [13] | |
| 1975–1982 | Barney Miller | Det. Ron Harris | Regular role (164 episodes) | [17] |
| 1976 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Arlen Washington | Episode: "The Thrill Killers" | [13] |
| 1978 | Crash | Jerry Grant | TV film | [14] |
| 1981 | Hart to Hart | Conductor Slattery | Episode: "Hartland Express" | [17] |
| 1982–1983 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Felix Unger | Regular role (18 episodes) | [17] |
| 1985 | Gus Brown and Midnight Brewster | Midnight Brewster | TV film | [14] |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Demon | Episode: "I of Newton" | [13] | |
| 1986 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star | Eric Brenner | TV film | [14] |
| 1987 | 227 | Robert Stone | 2 episodes | [17] |
| 1988 | Sonny Spoon | Unknown | Episode: "Deuces Wild" | [13] |
| 1989 | Family Matters | Buddy Goodrich | Episode: "False Arrest" | [13] |
| 1989–1991 | Amen | Jason Lockwood | 3 episodes | [13] |
| 1991 | The New Adam-12 | Logan Mills | Episode: "D.A.R.E." | [13] |
| 1992 | Murder, She Wrote | Lt. Hanrahan | Episode: "Incident in Lot #7" | [17] |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Deacon Hudson | Episode: "The Sneakin' Deacon" | [17] | |
| 1992–1993 | Rhythm & Blues | Don Phillips | Main role (13 episodes) | [13] |
| 1993 | Designing Women | Punch | Episode: "It's Not So Easy Being Green" | [17] |
| 1993–2001 | Rugrats | Randy Carmichael (voice) | 6 episodes | [15] |
| 1994 | Aladdin | Kwanseer (voice) | Episode: "Bad Mood Rising" | [13] |
| 1996–1997 | Mr. Rhodes | Ronald Felcher | Regular role (17 episodes) | [17] |
| 1997 | Superman: The Animated Series | News Anchorman (voice) | Episode: "Blasts from the Past" | [15] |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Judge Kent | Episode: "Reasonable Doubts" | [17] | |
| 1997–1998 | Teen Angel | Rod | Regular role (17 episodes) | [17] |
| 1999 | Incognito | Marcus Courtland | TV film | [14] |
| Twice in a Lifetime | Charlie Summers / Charlie Winters | Episode: "The Blame Game" | [17] | |
| Friends | Russell | 2 episodes | [17] | |
| 2000 | Jack & Jill | Mr. Small | Episode: "Animal Planet: Part 1" | [13] |
| Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane | Prof. Bradford | Episode: "Too Much Pressure" | [17] | |
| Star Trek: Voyager | Loken | Episode: "Nightingale" | [17] | |
| 2001 | Rude Awakening | Joseph | Episode: "Ode to Billie and Joe" | [13] |
| Yes, Dear | Dr. Bradley | Episode: "The Big Snip" | [17] | |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | Graham Redmond | Episode: "Pilot" | [17] | |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | The Talking Baby (voice) | 4 episodes | [17] | |
| 2002 | Firefly | Shepherd Derrial Book | Main role (14 episodes) | [17] |
| 2004 | Script error: No such module "Sort". | Barry | Episode: "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here" | [13] |
| 2004–2008 | All Grown Up! | Randy Carmichael (voice) | 12 episodes | [15] |
| 2006 | Secret History of Religion: Doomsday – Book of Revelation | Reenactor | TV film | |
| Secret History of Religion: Knights Templar | Reenactor | TV film | ||
| 2006–2007 | Shark | Judge Stewart Fenton | 3 episodes | [17] |
| 2008 | Dirty Sexy Money | D.A. Dennis Ford | 2 episodes | [17] |
| 2011 | CSI: NY | Colby Glass | Episode: "To What End?" | [17] |
| 2013, 2014 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Dr. Streiten | 2 episodes | [17] |
| 2013 | Major Crimes | Clayton Carter | Episode: "There's No Place Like Home" | [17] |
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Paul Lomax | Episode: "Killer Moves" (Final role) | [17] |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Fable II | Garth | [15] | |
| 2014 | Ancient Space | Colonel Edwards / Professor Risseau | Voice (final role) |
References
Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ron Glass Biography (1945–)". Film Reference. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Martin, John T. "Evansville native, actor Ronald Glass dies at 71". Courier & Press. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kelley, Seth (November 26, 2016). "Ron Glass, Emmy-Nominated Actor Known for 'Barney Miller' and 'Firefly,' Dies at 71". Variety. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mele, Christopher (November 28, 2016). "Ron Glass, Who Played a Dapper Detective on 'Barney Miller,' Dies at 71". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Whedon, Firefly: The Official Companion Volume One, 166.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gallucci, Nicole (November 26, 2016). "Ron Glass, 'Barney Miller' and 'Firefly' actor, dies at 71". Mashable. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."New Fable Will Have An "Amazing Cast" And Lots Of British Humor, Director Says". GameSpot. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."This week's better kick-ass comedy movie review review:". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nielsen, Euell A. (October 25, 2020). "Ronald Earle Glass (1945–2016)". BlackPast.org. BlackPast.org. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McDonald, Soraya Nadia (December 2, 2016). "Remembering Barney Miller actor Ron Glass". Andscape. ESPN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schwartz, Ryan (November 26, 2016). "Barney Miller and Firefly Star Ron Glass Dead at 71". TVLine. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rogers, John (November 26, 2016). "Ron Glass, co-star of TV's Barney Miller dead at 71". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ron Glass: Credits". TV Guide. TV Guide, A Fandom Company. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ron Glass: Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ron Glass (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Inyxception Enterprises. Retrieved November 10, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ron Glass". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ron Glass". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media / NBCUniversal. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
External links
Page Module:Side box/styles.css has no content.Page Template:Sister project/styles.css has no content.
- {{IBDB name}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
- Template:AFI person
- Ron Glass at the TCM Movie Database (archived)
- Ron Glass at Rotten Tomatoes
- Template:Behind The Voice Actors person
- Ron Glass at Apple TV+
- Ron Glass at TV GuideTemplate:EditAtWikidata
- Ron Glass at IMDb
- {{Find a Grave}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.