I had a big crush on the dimwitted, muscular Wojo (Max Gail), but I loved the fussy, swishy, stylish, gay-vague Detective Ron Harris.
A glimpse of sophistication and freedom on dark, gloomy Thursday nights in a Rock Island where everyone was terrified to admit that gay people existd.
Harris was always impeccably dressed, a shining exception to the crumpled cops around him
And, incidentally, he had a breathtaking bulge.
Later, when I was living in West Hollywood, I saw Ron often at the gym. Not much of a physique: he went for lean and lanky, and he was extraordinarily feminine, not my type. But he could really fill out his gym trunks. Mega-huge!
I heard that Tony Geary from General Hospital was his former lover.
Ron Glass grew up in Evansville, Indiana, and worked in theater before coming to Los Angeles in 1972. Aside from Barney Miller, he was known for The New Odd Couple (1982-83), playing the fussy Felix Ungar to Demond Wilson's Oscar Madison; and the futuristic science fiction series Firefly (2002-2003), playing the religious zealot Shepherd Book (nice name).
But he had over 70 acting roles, mostly in an extraordinary array of sitcoms, from the 1970s (Maude, All in the Family, Good Times) to the 2000s (Friends).
I've only found one semi-beefcake photo online.
But it wasn't about the beefcake. It was about the glimpse of freedom for gay kids lost in the wilds of the Straight World.
He was such a handsome and distinctive man! Great actor and underrated!
ReplyDeleteYes to all this! Well said.
DeleteHe added class to a very classy show.
ReplyDeleteHe was comfortable in his own skin.
ReplyDeleteToo bad he didn't have any kids. That would have been lovely.
ReplyDeleteRon Glass and Demond Wilson had another occasion to work together. Glass was on one episode of "Sanford and Son" too, which featured Wilson in title billing.
ReplyDeleteI think Ron carried the Barney Miller show. I believe that the show would have lacked depth without him. It was sad to hear that he was gay, but he was still a great actor!!
ReplyDeleteYou must mean sad to hear that he was dead. Nobody is sad to hear that someone is gay.
DeleteActually, there are people that are sad to hear someone is gay. If they are interested in them or had a crush, it kind of messes up their fantasy. Others just don't like gay people. I agree with most folks here; Glass was a solid asset to Barney Miller. One of the best comedy ensemble casts of the 70's.
DeleteHe was one of the most classy men on television during that period.
ReplyDeleteI miss seeing him on t.v and knowing he was still in the world. Rest in peace, you are missed.
100% agree with all of this.
DeleteReally bummed that he died kind of young when so many of the great Barney Miller cast are still alive and kicking. I've always enjoyed his screen presence in anything I've seen him in. He's also in an episode of The Bob Newhart show, pre-Barney Miller so it's a small role. Kind of assumed he was gay so this was my confirmation. He was such a cool actor and seemed like a really cool guy. He should've been a bigger actor than he was!
ReplyDeleteSadly, many of the main cast have passed away. Harris, Dietrich, Fish, Nick Yemana (Jack Soo died during the run of the show), Levitt, Inspector Luger, Chano and Lt. Scanlon (IAB). Many of the recurring characters are also gone. Barney Miller cast a lot of older actors and actresses and it is also over 40 years old so that’s to be expected.
DeleteHal Linden (Barney), Max Gail (Wojo), Barbara Barrie (Barney’s wife Elizabeth) and Linda Lavin (Det. Wentworth) are still with us.
Abe Vigoda (Fish) lived to be 94, though in the 80’s, a magazine article referred to him as “the late Abe Vigoda” and he had to deal with people thinking he was dead for many years.