‘Barney Miller’ Star Ron Glass Dies at 71

Ron Glass, who is remembered for playing Det. Ron Harris on 1975-82 ABC sitcom “Barney Miller,” passed away Friday evening of respiratory failure. He was 71.

Born on July 10, 1945 in Evansville, Indiana, Glass made his stage debut at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis before moving to Hollywood. His early TV appearances included guest roles on “All in the Family,” “Maude,” the original “Hawaii Five-O,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Good Times.” Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for “Barney Miller” in 1982, Glass segued into the first remake of “The Odd Couple” as Felix Unger on ABC’s version in the 1982-83 season, followed by guest appearances in sitcoms like “227,” “Family Matters” and “Amen.” In the 1992-93 season he appeared as a regular in his third sitcom, NBC’s “Rhythm and Blues,” which led to co-starring roles in also short-lived comedies “Mr. Rhodes” on NBC in 1996-97 and “Teen Angel” in 1997-98.

Glass also had a co-starring role on Fox sci-fi drama “Firefly” in the 2002-03 season, and more recently appeared in episodes of dramas like “Major Crimes,” “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” and “CSI.” He was also a member of the board of directors for Los Angeles’ AL Wooten Jr. Heritage Center, an organization named for a man murdered in a gang-initiation drive-by shooting and dedicated to helping inner-city youth stay safe and receive an education.

Information on funeral services and survivors was not immediately available.