Peters was born George Gibson Fisher on July 2, 1927**, in Harlem, NY, in Harlem Hospital. His mother was Alma A. Norford, a native of St. Kitt in the West Indies, and she worked as a practical nurse. His father was a sailor named Sonnie Fisher of Senegal, Africa. He studied at the Sorbonne and came to New York to teach. Sadly, Sonnie Fisher died when his son was five years old (1932).
In 1937, Peters was admitted to the High School of Music and Art, where he studied classical singing (baritone), violin, drama, and music theory. He immediately signed up for several productions in its musical theater program. Peters (George Fisher) graduated from Music and Art in 1941, when he was about 14 years old.*
Peters attended but soon left City College of New York to tour with Anna Lucasta (starting at the Mansfield Theater). During the long Broadway, and then Chicago, Illinois (Civic Theater), run as the juvenile lead, Peters graduated from Chicago University with a degree in physical education (1944-1945).
Sometime during the 1950s (definite date not found), George Fisher formally changed his name to Brock Peters. The decision to do so was to change it to something a bit more memorable (suggested by his agent). The future African American entrepreneur Peter Brock was a childhood friend. Because he had always liked the name, Peters merely switched its order and presented the idea of ‘Brock Peters’ to his agent. In 1954, his fine bass-baritone voice was singled out for praise by critics, and producers eventually asked Peters to join Carmen's cast. His participation in the Otto Preminger production as Sargent Brown was also Peters' movie debut.  On the movie set of Carmen (1954) - Dorothy Dandridge and Brock Peters. Peters played Crown in the 1959 movie version of Porgy and Bess.  Porgy and Bess (Movie) 1959 - Sammy Davis Jr., Dorothy Dandridge, Brock Peters During 1956, Peters sang background vocals on the 1956 hit "Day-O" by Harry Belafonte, as well as the Belafonte hit "Mama Look at Bubu." Peters expressed his singing talents in albums of his own in Sing'a Man (1959), Brock Peters at the Village Gate (1960), and Mysterious Instinct (1962) with Ray Barreto.
In 1961, Brock Peters married Dolores 'DiDi' Daniels. She was a television producer and public relations consultant. Their daughter, Lisa Jo Peters, was born on November 3, 1962.  Brock Peters, daughter, Lisa Jo and Dolores Peters - 1962 During 1962, Tom Robinson's character in To Kill a Mockingbird, played by Peters, became one of his most notable roles. The movie revolved around the story of a black man falsely accused of raping a white girl.  To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) - Gregory Peck and Brock Peters During 1969, Peters and his cast performed their cross-country tour in The Great White Hope in various cities throughout the U.S. The play's theme was about the first Black heavyweight boxing champion.  Jet Magazine, December 1969 Brock Peters and Claudia Nevins Peters was the 1973 Tony Award nominee for Best Actor in a Musical for Kurt Wall and Maxwell Anderson's Lost in the Stars, in which he played Stephen Kumalo and sang the title song. Peters reprised his role in the 1974 screen version of Lost in the Stars.  Peters in Lost in the Stars
Peters also wore the hat of film and T.V. producer. Under the banner of his production company, Delbro Enterprises, Peters produced the feature film "Five on the Black Hand Side" (1973) and the PBS documentary "This Far by Faith (1975). He also executive produced the PBS special "Voices of Our People" (1982), which won multiple Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards.
 Brock Peters in Polly (November 1989), with Keshia Knight Pulliam and Celeste Holm. In 1989, Peters starred with actress Julie Harris in the theatrical version of Driving Miss Daisy during its national tour, and in 1990, Peters and Nancy Travis starred in My Children! My Africa! at the Los Angeles Theater Center.
The Screen Actors Guild honored Brock Peters with a Life Achievement Award in 1990, citing his durability and versatility. Sadly, his wife of 31 years, Dolores Peters, passed away in 1990.
Peters, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2005, had been receiving chemotherapy treatment, and his condition worsened months later. Peters died peaceably in bed, at 78 years old, surrounded by family on August 23, 2005, in Los Angeles, CA. He was survived by companion Marilyn Darby and daughter Lisa Jo Peters. A public memorial service was held at St. John's Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.  Peters' community involvement is legendary. He was chairman of Dance Theatre of Harlem, a member of Free Southern Theatre, and on the creative board of Third World Cinema. He was the former chairman of the California State Arts Commission; on the boards of KCET-TV, the Performing Arts Council of the Music Center, the L.A. Task Force for Africa and L.A. Relations, the Congressional Black Caucus' Communications Task Force, the Sassoon Foundation, the National Urban League Guild, and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts; and Chairman of the Brotherhood Crusade Black United Fund.
*I found several sources stating that Brock Peters (George Fisher) graduated from the High School of Music and Art, but I could find no trace of him in the spring or winter yearbooks of 1941. The Alumni and Friends of LaGuardia High School website list Brock Peters as a Notable Alumni, but there is no graduation year attached. Lloyd A. Green **I based Mr. Peters' date of birth on data gathered across many web information that consistently states that he was born on July 2, 1927. After a comment on this article from Ms. Judy Naimark (see 1/15/21 comment), I checked Ancestry.com and found the following: 1. A draft card belonging to George Gibson Fisher (Brock Peters) with the date of birth July 2, 1922  2. A notation from the Social Security Applications and Claims Index: Name: George Gibson Fisher[Brock Peters] Gender: Male Race: Black Birth Date: 2 Jul 1922 Birth Place: New York, New York[New York, New York] Death Date: 23 Aug 2005 Father: Sonnie Fisher Mother: Alma A Norford SSN: --- -- ---- Notes: Sep 1939: Name listed as GEORGE GIBSON FISHER; Feb 1962: Name listed as BROCK PETERS With this updated information, Mr. Peters was likely born five years before the general information (including mine), which states that he was born in 1927. In other words, Ms. Naimark is correct that his date of birth was incorrect. Mr. Peters probably graduated from M&A at age eighteen in 1940 or 1941. As written before, no definite proof of his graduation from the High School of Music and Art can so far be located.
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