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81 , natural causes ,very good actor
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US actor Brian Dennehy, whose chiselled jaw and towering figure featured in some 40 films, has died at the age of 81, of natural causes in Connecticut.
On screen he played macho roles like the sheriff who jails Rambo in First Blood and portrayed the serial killer John Wayne Gacy in To Catch A Killer.
His work brought him a Golden Globe and six Emmy nominations.
But Dennehy was equally at home playing the classics on stage, and won two Tony Awards.
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda paid tribute to the man on Twitter, saying: "Was lucky enough to see Brian Dennehy twice on stage, masterful in Love Letters, and monumentally heartbreaking in Death Of A Salesman. A colossus. What a loss."
Fellow American actor James Woods, who starred alongside him in Bestseller, mourned a "beloved friend and colleague", tweeting: "I've never laughed so hard as we did every day on the set or off."
Born on 9 July 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he took up acting at the age of 14 in New York City where he studied at a high school in Brooklyn. He played the title role in a production of Macbeth.
A scholarship at Columbia University followed and then five years of service in the US Marines.
Physically, Dennehy was an imposing man, standing at 6ft 3in (1.9m). To fund his acting career in the 1960s he worked as a truck driver, a bartender and a salesman.
"I had to make a life inside those jobs, not just pretend," he told The New York Times in 1989.
Dennehy broke into film in 1977 with Semi-Tough, which starred Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson. He was paid $10,000 a week for 10 weeks' work and it "looked like it was all the money in the world", he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Other films included Gorky Park and Legal Eagles.
In 1991 came the TV movie To Catch A Killer for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special.
"I try to play villains as if they're good guys and good guys as if they're villains," he said in an interview the following year.
There were numerous roles in TV dramas including Dallas and Dynasty.
In 2007 he voiced the character of a rat called Django in the hit Pixar animation Ratatouille, delivering lines like "Now shut up and eat your garbage".
Dennehy's theatre work ranged from Shakespeare and Chekhov to the American greats like Miller and O'Neill: he won Tony Awards for Death Of A Salesman (1999) and Long Day's Journey Into Night (2003).
The 2000 television film adaptation of Death of a Salesman earned him a Golden Globe.
He died from natural causes not related to coronavirus at his Connecticut home on Wednesday evening, with his wife Jennifer and son Cormac by his side, his agent told AFP news agency.
Brian Dennehy is also survived by four other children, three of them from a previous marriage.
On screen he played macho roles like the sheriff who jails Rambo in First Blood and portrayed the serial killer John Wayne Gacy in To Catch A Killer.
His work brought him a Golden Globe and six Emmy nominations.
But Dennehy was equally at home playing the classics on stage, and won two Tony Awards.
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda paid tribute to the man on Twitter, saying: "Was lucky enough to see Brian Dennehy twice on stage, masterful in Love Letters, and monumentally heartbreaking in Death Of A Salesman. A colossus. What a loss."
Fellow American actor James Woods, who starred alongside him in Bestseller, mourned a "beloved friend and colleague", tweeting: "I've never laughed so hard as we did every day on the set or off."
Born on 9 July 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he took up acting at the age of 14 in New York City where he studied at a high school in Brooklyn. He played the title role in a production of Macbeth.
A scholarship at Columbia University followed and then five years of service in the US Marines.
Physically, Dennehy was an imposing man, standing at 6ft 3in (1.9m). To fund his acting career in the 1960s he worked as a truck driver, a bartender and a salesman.
"I had to make a life inside those jobs, not just pretend," he told The New York Times in 1989.
Dennehy broke into film in 1977 with Semi-Tough, which starred Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson. He was paid $10,000 a week for 10 weeks' work and it "looked like it was all the money in the world", he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.
Other films included Gorky Park and Legal Eagles.
In 1991 came the TV movie To Catch A Killer for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special.
"I try to play villains as if they're good guys and good guys as if they're villains," he said in an interview the following year.
There were numerous roles in TV dramas including Dallas and Dynasty.
In 2007 he voiced the character of a rat called Django in the hit Pixar animation Ratatouille, delivering lines like "Now shut up and eat your garbage".
Dennehy's theatre work ranged from Shakespeare and Chekhov to the American greats like Miller and O'Neill: he won Tony Awards for Death Of A Salesman (1999) and Long Day's Journey Into Night (2003).
The 2000 television film adaptation of Death of a Salesman earned him a Golden Globe.
He died from natural causes not related to coronavirus at his Connecticut home on Wednesday evening, with his wife Jennifer and son Cormac by his side, his agent told AFP news agency.
Brian Dennehy is also survived by four other children, three of them from a previous marriage.
Great character actor. Not many of those about these days.
Tobermory's post has said it all for me though Angoose's conribuion reminds us all (those of a certain age group) of just what a smashing old timer actor he was.
So many good films he played a bit part in...mos noably for me like Gorky Park.
As you gays can see..here's a cerain leer playing up on my keyboard - I'm not tha fcukin' thick!!!
So many good films he played a bit part in...mos noably for me like Gorky Park.
As you gays can see..here's a cerain leer playing up on my keyboard - I'm not tha fcukin' thick!!!
I think I first remember him in F/X with Bryan Brown. Not a bad movie!
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089118/
He is in the Blacklist but was recently badly injured in the show. Thought it was strange how they never mentioned him in subsequent shows
Maybe they knew he was knocking on heaven's door
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089118/
He is in the Blacklist but was recently badly injured in the show. Thought it was strange how they never mentioned him in subsequent shows
Maybe they knew he was knocking on heaven's door
His portrayal of John Wayne Gacy in To Catch A Killer was one of his very best performances on screen IMO.
I believe is was the very first episode of Dallas he appeared in, he was holding some of the family hostage at Southfork if I remember correctly
Very sad, top actor, could play good guys and bad guys just as effectively.
under-rated actor who could play sympathetic or villainous characters
agree with duffy that his portrayal of the serial killer Gacy was chilling but effective
agree with duffy that his portrayal of the serial killer Gacy was chilling but effective
A nice humble post from someone who clearly wasn't up his own árse...like the majority of the industry.
“I’ve had a hell of a ride,” Dennehy also said in 2018. “I have a nice house. I haven’t got a palace, a mansion, but a pretty nice, comfortable home. I’ve raised a bunch of kids and sent them all to school, and they’re all doing well. All the people that are close to me are reasonably healthy and happy. Listen, that’s as much as anybody can hope for in life.”
“I’ve had a hell of a ride,” Dennehy also said in 2018. “I have a nice house. I haven’t got a palace, a mansion, but a pretty nice, comfortable home. I’ve raised a bunch of kids and sent them all to school, and they’re all doing well. All the people that are close to me are reasonably healthy and happy. Listen, that’s as much as anybody can hope for in life.”
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