Taurean Blacque (born Herbert Middleton Jr.; May 10, 1940 – July 21, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Detective Neal Washington on the series Hill Street Blues. He was born in Newark, New Jersey.
Early in his acting career, Blacque began making guest appearances in sitcoms such as What's Happening!!, Sanford and Son, The Bob Newhart Show, The Tony Randall Show, Good Times, and Taxi.
He won an NAACP Image Award for Best Actor (Local) in 1985.
In 1989, he was asked by President George H. W. Bush to be a national spokesman for supporting adoption.
Blacque died on July 21, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 82.