Antonio Fargas AKA 'Huggy Bear' Of 'Starsky & Hutch' Is 73 Now And Looks Better With Age

Apr 27, 2020

Antonio Fargas of the 1970s television series Starsky and Hutch turned 73 last August, and he shows no signs of slowing down. The famous actor celebrated his birthday by posting a photo on his Instagram account, which he regularly updates with photos of his travels on movie sets across the world.

Along with a photo of himself on a terrace in front of a couple rolling hills, Fargas thanked his fans on Instagram for the birthday wishes in August 2019, writing: “Thank you for the birthday wishes. I never dreamed I would be 73 and still feeling passionate about life and the opportunity to give back.”

Although Fargas will turn 74 this summer, the Starsky and Hutch actor has continued to star on television and in movies, regularly updating his fans on career developments via Instagram. According to Fargas’ website, Fargas’ recent roles on television include appearances in Black Lightning (2018) and Code Black (2018), though his most recent project is Philippe Martinez’s gangster film Mister Mayfair.

Back in November, Fargas posted about the new film on Instagram, writing that he was on location in both Portugal and the UK to shoot the film. “What a gift,” the 73-year-old actor wrote alongside a selfie showing the actor smiling and giving a thumbs up.

Fargas first made a name for himself in the ‘70s with his role on Starsky and Hutch along with his character on Everybody Hates Chris, for which the actor won an NAACP Image Award Nomination for “Best Supporting Actor in A Comedy Series,” according to Cast Productions. Fargas got his big break after the director Barry Shear, whom Fargas had worked with on the film Across 110th Street, asked the young actor to play the role of Huggy Bear on his new show Starsky and Hutch, the actor explained in an interview with Jim Conlan.

“I didn’t have to audition or anything,” Fargas said in the interview. “I was always the kind of actor who would get a lot of street characters, and I did them well and nobody else was doing it the kind of way I did it, so I kind of created a niche for myself.” Since then, Fargas has racked up an impressive list of film and television credits over his four-decade career in Hollywood and New York.

But beyond the big screen, Fargas is also an experienced theater actor, starring in plays from Broadway to London, according to Cast Productions. Among the actor’s best known parts have been the J Cast Productions’ national tour of Driving Miss Daisy as Hoke and Melvin Von Peeples’ Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death.

In Fargas’ most recent post on Instagram, he updated fans with a photo of himself on a Virgin Atlantic flight to the UK with the caption, “Great service on board Virgin Atlantic on flight to London today. Going to work. Grateful.”

The 73-year-old actor is a father of four — Justin, Matthew, Kevin and Tiffany — and lives with his wife Sandra Reed in Los Angeles, according to Cast Productions. 

Are you a fan of Antonio Fargas' work? What's your favorite TV show or movie that he's starred in? Let us know and pass this on to other Starsky and Hutch fans.