Ron Glass, a veteran actor of both television and film, has died at the age of 71 due to respiratory failure. His agent confirmed the news to the Associated Press, saying, “Ron was a private, gentle and caring man. He was an absolute delight to watch on screen. Words cannot adequately express my sorrow.” Perhaps best known to older viewers for his Emmy-nominated role as the ambitious, fashionable detective Ron Harris on the police sitcom Barney Miller or to younger viewers as the spiritual shepherd Derrial Brook in the cult sci-fi series Firefly (and later its film sequel Serenity), Glass had been acting since the early 1970s. He also held leading television roles on The Odd New Couple, Mr. Rhodes, and Teen Angel, and also, interestingly, voiced the long-standing role of Randy Carmichael on the beloved children’s show Rugrats. Apart from acting, Glass was a devout Buddhist and an established leader in the California Buddhist community. His survivors are not immediately known.
