Ron Glass was an American actor who was recognizable to a wide range of viewers because of his roles on a wide range of TV shows. Some examples included but were not limited to Derrial Book on Firefly, Rod on Teen Angel, and Randy Carmichael on All Grown Up!. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 71 on November 25 of 2016.
Here are five things that you may or may not have known about Ron Glass:
Decided on His Career in College
Glass went to college in the same place where he was born, which is to say, the city of Evansville in the state of Indiana. It was at the University of Evansville where he realized that he wanted to become an actor, though he didn’t act in a play until he had received encouragement to do so from one of his teachers. As a result, Glass went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in both drama and literature before going on to pursue a career as an actor.
Member of Alpha Psi Omega
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Glass was a member of Alpha Psi Omega, which has a strong emphasis on promoting collegiate theater. For example, it is open to people who participate in collegiate theater at full colleges and universities in some manner, though it is interesting to note that most chapters use a points-based system to see whether a particular person can become a member or not. For those who are curious, its motto is “Seek a life useful,” which can be seen in ancient Greek on their coat-of-arms.
Got Started in Regional Theater
Before he started playing characters on the TV screen, Glass played characters on the theatre stage. To be exact, he became a stage actor at the Guthrie Theater, which can be found in the city of Minneapolis in the state of Minnesota. Now as then, the Guthrie Theater exists for the purpose of providing professional training to those who are interested in such classes as well as putting on performances of a rotation of classic plays while living up to the highest professional standards.
Best-Known for Detective Ron Harris
Glass has played numerous characters in a wide range of TV shows over the course of his career. However, his best-known role is Detective Ron Harris from Barney Miller, which was about how the members of a police station handled all of the cases as well as all of the people who came to them for help. In brief, the character was notable for his learning as well as his laconic language, while being more focused at times on his budding career as a writer rather than his current career as a police officer.
Nichiren Buddhist
Interestingly, Glass was a Buddhist. To be exact, he was a practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism, as shown by the fact that he was a member of Soka Gakkai International. For those who are curious, Nichiren Buddhism refers to schools descended from the teachings of the Japanese Buddhist priest named Nichiren, who lived in the tumultuous times of the Kamakura period. In particular, said schools are known for their interest in the Lotus Sutra, as shown by their use of the mantra “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.”
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