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The true measure of life, someone once said, should be its quality, not
its longevity. By any gauge, so far, I have had a full and happy life. At
this writing, I'm past the halfway mark of my projected stay on this planet.
(My goal is 150 years.) As Robert Browning wrote, "a man's reach should exceed
his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"
When I began my acting career, I felt I would be content working on the stage for the rest of my life. I remember saying that if I could earn $100 a week as an actor, I would be fulfilled. Circumstance, happenstance and inflation conspired over the years to pull that dream into an unrecognizable shape. Duke Ellington once described "luck" as being in the right place at the right time with the right stuff for the right people. I couldn't agree more. I have been lucky. In 1956, strolling on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, I ran into a friend, fellow actor Ned Glass, who was a regular cast member of the hit comedy TV series You'll Never Get Rich (later known as the Sgt. Bilko Show and then The Phil Silvers Show). Ned told me that they were casting for the new season and that I should make sure to call for a casting appointment. I did just that, and landed a role that lasted me three great years. Walking up Broadway in midtown Manhattan in 1965, I ran into an old acquaintance, producer Chet Collier, who informed me that Westinghouse Broadcasting was looking for someone to become the nation's first Black TV news anchor. That chance encounter landed me a three-year contract in Boston. In 1970, as I was having lunch one day in the Universal Studios commissary in
Studio City, a casting director I knew saw me and said "I didn't know you were in
town!" When I explained that I was now living in L.A., he said "Call me!" I did,
and the result was an offer to play a principal role in McCloud. My agent had already
submitted me for two other series pilots: Douglas Selby, D.A. and San
Francisco International, either of which was mine for the asking. But
McCloud's star was Dennis Weaver, whose work I had seen and admired
in the Bonanza TV series and especially in Orson Welles' now-classic
film, Touch Of Evil. I made what turned out to be the right choice.
The McCloud series lasted seven wonderful years; those other series
projects never got beyond the pilot stage. Being in the right place at the
right time, etc. served me rather well...
I firmly believe that, in one way or another, we are all connected. What we do affects people we know, as well as many we don't know, directly or indirectly, in ways we can hardly imagine. John Donne's observation that "no man is an island" resonates strongly with me. I believe we are one, with all the interpersonal responsibility and compassion that such an idea implies. Some years ago, I attended a conference in Washington, DC. A young Black man came up to me, shook my hand warmly and said "I want to thank you!" I was thoroughly confused since I had never laid eyes on this fellow before. He saw my puzzlement and went on to explain: "I used to watch Battlestar Galactica as a kid and I admired the authority you brought to the role of 'Colonel Tigh'. I wanted to be like you. So I chose my career path, studied hard and became an aeronautical engineer. It never would have happened if it weren't for you!" I have also experienced other kinds of connectedness. The incident in which I broke my ankle while out roller-skating at the beachfront in Venice, California brought two strokes of good luck: My loss of the role of "Lt. Boomer" in Battlerstar Galactica: When the producers were told my leg was in a plaster cast, the call for my replacement as "Boomer" went out immediately. Among the many young actors who responded was Herb Jefferson, Jr. But Herb was already in a TV show. Herb tells me that the Galactica producers compelled him to resign from his other gig before they would even audition him for the role of "Boomer". He decided to take the plunge, gambling on the chance that he might land the role. And he got it. So, for Herb, that was good luck, stroke one. To tell the truth, at the age of 50, I didn't feel fully inspired by the demands of the "Boomer" character: jaunty, gung-ho, impetuous. When producers Glen Larson and Leslie Stevens later offered me instead the role of "Col. Tigh", I knew immediately, upon re-reading the script, that that character was where my head and heart were: passionate, dedicated, loyal, and observant of the Big Picture. For me this was good luck, stroke two. Had I not stepped into that damned hole in the sidewalk when I was out roller-skating with my daughter, we might not be commemorating that TV event of more than a quarter century ago. ... All things, by immortal power,
When the wonderful, resourceful and clever creators of this website asked me to participate in its making, I immediately saw it as something more than a premature epitaph and less than an overdue autobiography. But, just as they say about that tree falling in the forest, if I have lived the life I lived and no one knows about it, have I really lived it?
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May 2, 2008: Several new (recently made) color headshots of Terry Carter are added to the gallery under "Personal/Color Photos".
April 15, 2008: Terry Carter found this old poster of him advertising Kent cigarettes. It shows how advertisement fools you, since Terry is a non-smoker himself.
August 15, 2007: Terry Carter will be attending the Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration of the Battlestar Galactica series in September 2008. Visit the GALACTICRUISE website if you'd like more information on who else is attending or if you'd like to book a cabin to attend this cruise and meet Terry in person. This four day cruise from LA to Mexico and back will have Q&A panels, dinners with the celebrities, signing sessions and all sorts of other activities TBA later. July 5 - 17, 2007: A Duke Named Ellington was screened aboard the MS Rotterdam, on the first-ever North Sea Jazz Festival Cruise. April 29, 2007: A Duke Named Ellington was screened at the Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater in New York City, to commemorate the 108th birthday of Duke Ellington. February 24, 2007: Widely acclaimed as the best documentary ever created about one of the world's greatest musical artists, A Duke Named Ellington was nominated in 1988 for an Emmy Award as "Outstanding Informational Special", and garnered international awards. The extraordinary, classic two-hour musical biography, recently made its debut on DVD.
If you'd like to read more or want to order the DVD, please read the official press release: Press Release: A Duke Named Ellington on DVD or visit the official website: A Duke Named Ellington on DVD If you'd like to read why Terry Carter made this film, read this article: Why I made A Duke Named Ellington. January 27, 2007: Some minor errors were corrected in this long overdue update! Great news: Terry starred in 18 episodes of the Norwegian daily drama series Hotel Caesar. He plays the role of "Solomon Tefari", an authoritarian, businessman, father of "Nadia Tefari", who has come to get her to fulfill her promise to the family. The episodes will be broadcast in May and July of 2007 in several European countries. Furthermore we're adding a chapter called "Terry's Favorites" at the "Biography" section which a unique insight into Terry's personal interests. We're starting off with Terry's favorite poem, which is very meaningful to him and has become his mantra. It has carried him through grim moments in his life. October 9, 2006: A Duke Named Ellington was screened at the National Music Center and Museum in Washington DC, and was followed by a Question & Answer session, with Producer-Director Terry Carter, jazz scholars and experts on the Ellington legacy participating. June 13, 2006: Several newspaper articles are added under "Articles" in the "Media" section. They're all reporting this story: In May 1978 Terry Carter was in Washington, D.C., for business when he heard a woman's cry for help. Playing a cop for 7 years on McCloud, he chased a thief by car and made a daring arrest. The story of a TV cop arresting a real-life crook was picked up by several newspapers, and was the subject of a Washington Post editorial. May 21, 2006: In the "Media" section, 4 articles were added about Terry Carter's attempt to produce Tennessee William’s classic play A Streetcar Named Desire with an all-Black cast. May 1, 2006: After many requests from fans and a lot of positive feedback we're finally opening up Terry Carter's official website! Here you will also find future updates, so keep checking back.
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