John Hancock (actor)
American actor (1941–1992)
title: "John Hancock (actor)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1941-births", "1992-deaths", "20th-century-african-american-male-actors", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "american-male-film-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "male-actors-from-arkansas", "people-from-hazen,-arkansas"] description: "American actor (1941–1992)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hancock_(actor)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American actor (1941–1992) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | John Hancock |
| image | John hancock cityheat.jpg |
| caption | Hancock as "Fat Freddy" in the 1984 action-comedy City Heat. |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Hazen, Arkansas, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| years_active | 1969–1992 |
| :: |
| name = John Hancock | image = John hancock cityheat.jpg | imagesize = | caption = Hancock as "Fat Freddy" in the 1984 action-comedy City Heat. | birth_date = | birth_place = Hazen, Arkansas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | years_active = 1969–1992 | awards = | spouse = John Hancock (March 4, 1941 – October 12, 1992) was an American actor.
Early life
Born in Hazen, Arkansas, Hancock moved to Detroit, Michigan with his parents. Hancock went to Wayne State University in Detroit. He was employed at Mid-Town Market to pay his way through college. Hancock is possibly best remembered for his role as "Scotty" in the ABC miniseries Roots: The Next Generations. His large size and distinctive bass voice allowed him to establish a niche playing authority figures, and he was often cast as a minister, judge or high-ranking military officer.
Career
Hancock also made recurring appearances in several television shows during his career, including Knots Landing, Cheers, Family Ties, Diff'rent Strokes, Cop Rock, The Dukes of Hazzard, Houston Knights, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Murder, She Wrote, Amen, Midnight Caller, Pacific Station, Family Matters, and L.A. Law. He was working with Susan Dey on the CBS sitcom Love & War as the bartender "Ike Johnson" in 1992, when he died of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles. Hancock's character's death was subsequently written into the series and he was replaced by actor Charlie Robinson.
Hancock was interred in the Devotion section, at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Brother John | Henry's Friend | |
| 1974 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Cut Purse | |
| 1978 | Foul Play | Coleman | |
| 1979 | The In-Laws | T Man #1 | |
| 1979 | 10 | Dr. Croce | |
| 1980 | The Black Marble | Clarence Cromwell | |
| 1980 | First Family | President Mazai Kalundra | |
| 1980 | White Mama | Tall Black Man | |
| 1981 | ...All the Marbles | Big John' Stanley, TTs Promoter | |
| 1982 | Airplane II: The Sequel | Controller #1 | |
| 1982 | Incredible Hulk | Isaac Whittier Ross | |
| 1983 | The Sting II | Doc Brown | |
| 1983 | Deal of the Century | Baptist Minister | |
| 1984 | Tank | Mess Sergeant | |
| 1984 | A Soldier's Story | Sergeant Washington | |
| 1984 | City Heat | Fat Freddy | |
| 1986 | Crossroads | Sheriff Tilford | |
| 1987 | Catch the Heat | Ike | |
| 1987 | Dead Aim | Talbot | |
| 1987–88 | Houston Knights | Chicken | |
| 1988 | Big Business | Older Harlan | |
| 1988 | Traxx | Chief Emmett Decker | |
| 1989 | Rapid Fire | Marine / Sailor #20 | |
| 1989 | Collision Course | Lieutenant Ryerson | |
| 1989 | Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat | Quinton Canada | |
| 1990 | Why Me? | Tiny | |
| 1990 | The Bonfire of the Vanities | Reverend Bacon | |
| :: |
References
References
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121102124750/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/80395%7C0/John-Hancock/ Biography for John Hancock],{{dead link. (November 2024 Turner Classic Movies)
- (October 15, 1992). "John Hancock; Actor, 51". [[The New York Times]].
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