Taurean Blacque Obituary

Taurean Blacque was an American television and stage actor best known for his role as Detective Neal Washington on the series, Hill Street Blues. He stated that he chose the name, Taurean because of his astrological sign Taurus.

Blacque was born Herbert Middleton Jr on May 10, 1940, in Newark, New Jersey.

In 1981, he joined the cast of the police drama Hill Street Blues, staying with the show throughout its run, which ended in 1987.

While appearing on that show, he was nominated in 1982 for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series but lost to fellow Hill Street actor, Michael Conrad, in a year in which all nominees in the category came from the same time.

In 1989, he was asked by President George H.W. Bush to serve as a national spokesman for adoption.