Background
Castle was born on August 29, 1929, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Actor Episcopal priest founder rector
Castle was born on August 29, 1929, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
His involvement in Demme"s documentary led to an unlikely career as an actor in more than a dozen films over the next two decades, including roles in Philadelphia, The Addiction, Beloved, and Rachel Getting Married. He played as a football quarterback at Saint Lawrence University, where he received his bachelor"s degree. He earned a second degree from the Berkeley Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut.
While still studying at Berkeley, was given an assignment to serve at a predominantly African American Episcopal parish on Manhattan"s Lower East Side, sparking a lifelong commitment to civil rights and minority rights.
During that time, Castle became very involved with the American civil rights movement, including traveling to Mississippi to march with Martin Luther King Junior. He became one of the city"s most vocal activists.
He once dumped large amounts of garbage outside Jersey City Hall as a way to draw attention to the need for more street cleanings. He protested against his own New Jersey Episcopal bishop for his membership in segregated social clubs.
Castle also led protests against restaurants, banks, and other businesses because they would not hire minority employees.
His views and actions in Jersey City proved so controversial that when he left his post Saint John"s Church in 1968, no other church in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark would accept him into their parishes. Castle and his family moved to Vermont, where he became involved with social work and operated a general store. He served as rector from 1987 until his retirement in 2000.
Castle continued his vocal activism at Saint Mary"son
He campaigned against gentrification of Harlem other neighborhoods in New York City. Castle would put flyers on police cars admonishing the officers for illegally parking on the sidewalk in front of his church.
His ongoing parking battle with the New York City Police Department led a to newspaper article on him published during the late 1980s. That article caught the attention of film director Jonathan Demme, a cousin of Castle.
Both had previously lost touch with one another.
In a 1992 interview with National Public Radio, Demme recalled his reaction to the article, "I thought: "Good Lord.