Category: RIP

L.Q. Jones born Justus Ellis McQueen Jr. died today from natural causes at the age of 94.

After serving in the Navy, LQ went to college, worked as a stand-up comedian, played a little pro-football and pro-basketball and even did some ranching.  A letter from his old college roommate, (actor) Fess Parker, encouraged Mr. Jones to give acting a try.

Jones’ first role was in 1955’s Battle Cry where he was billed under his given name, Justus E. McQueen.  The character he played in Battle Cry was named LQ Jones!  He liked the name so much he took it as his stage name for the rest of his career!  LQ never looked back.  He stayed busy alternating between television and feature films for the rest of his career.

Television highlights include: Cheyenne, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, The Rebel, Death Valley Days, The Rifleman, Lassie, Ben Casey, Have Gun – Will Travel, Route 66, Laramie, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Branded, Rawhide, My Favorite Martian, Hondo, The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-O, The Virginian (semi-regular), The FBI, Gunsmoke, Alias Smith and Jones, Assignment: Vienna, Ironside, Kung Fu, McCloud, CHiPs, Columbo, The Incredible Hulk, Vega$, Charlie’s Angels, The Dukes of Hazard, The Fall Guy, Walker Texas Ranger and Renegade.

Some of the feature films with LQ Jones: Battle Cry, The Naked and the Dead, Cimarron, Flaming Star, Ride the High Country, Major Dundee, Hang ‘Em High, The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, White Line Fever, Casino, The Mask of Zorro and Route 666.

I probably first saw LQ Jones when he appeared in multiple episodes of Cheyenne.  Of course Mr. Jones stayed so busy on so many shows that I watched, it may have been one of the others on his resume.  Since I enjoyed his role as Cheyenne Brodie’s friend, we’ll go with that though.  As for his feature films, you could always count on him to have a role in most Sam Peckinpah films.  When LQ Jones’ name is mentioned, White Line Fever is one I think of right after The Wild Bunch.  Whenever LQ showed up, you were in for a treat!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to LQ Jones’ family, friends and fans.

Tony Sirico, who rose to fame playing Peter Paul “Paulie Walnuts” Gualtieri on The Sopranos died this morning.  Mr. Sirico was 79.  Tony Sirico’s brother posted the following on Facebook…

“It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony ‘Tony’ Sirico wishes to inform you of his death” Friday morning,  The family is deeply grateful for the many expressions of love, prayer and condolences and requests that the public respect its privacy in this time of bereavement.”

Tony Sirico built a career playing tough guys and mobsters.  He was convincing because Mr. Sirico was a real-life tough guy who knew first hand the view from the backseat of a police cruiser.  Tony Sirico was arrested 28 times and served two prison terms.  It was during his second stint in prison that he decided to give acting a try (after an acting troupe visited the prison).

Tony Sirico appeared in both television and feature films.  Some television shows/movies where you can find Mr. Sirico include: Kojak, Police Squad, Miami Vice, Gotti, Cosby, The Sopranos, Medium, A Muppets Christmas and Family Guy.

Feature films that, uh, feature Tony Sirico include: The Pick-Up Artist, Goodfellas, Romeo is Bleeding, Bullets Over Broadway, Dead Presidents and Cop Land,

Tony Sirico brought a feeling of authenticity to his roles.  One of my favorite Tony Sirico roles was Toy Torillo in Cop Land.  It’s not a huge role, but Mr. Sirico provided the gravitas needed.  Of course if I have to pick just one Tony Sirico role, then of course I’m going with Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos.  Thankfully, we aren’t limited to just one because Tony Sirico was good in everything.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Gregory Itzin died today at the age of 74.  No cause of death was given.

Gregory Itzin was a character actor perhaps best known for his role as Vice President (and later President) Charles Logan on the television series 24.  Mr. Itzin was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his performance in this role.  The Charles Logan character (thanks to Mr. Itzin) proved so popular that he was brought back as the now disgraced former President in season 10!  He was honored with another Emmy nomination for Guest Actor in a Drama!

Although Mr. Itzin was best known for his role on 24, it was just one of the many, many parts on his resume.  Gregory Itzin intended to be a stage actor and in addition to television and feature films, he also appeared on stages across the country as a member of the Los Angeles Matrix Theatre Company.  As a stage actor, Mr. Itzin was nominated for a Tony Award and multiple L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards.  Gregory Itzin alternated between stage, television and feature film roles throughout his career.

Some of the television shows that featured Gregory Itzin include: Mork & Mindy, Charlie’s Angels, Lou Grant, Falcon Crest, Dallas, Tales from the Darkside, Hill Street Blues, The A-Team, St. Elsewhere, Murphy Brown, Night Court, Eerie Indiana (regular), Matlock, Quantum Leap, LA Law, ER, Murder One (regular), The Pretender, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Profiler, The West Wing, Firefly, NYPD Blue, Friends, Boston Legal, 24, The Mentalist, Covert Affairs (regular), Mob City (regular) and NICS.

Feature films in which Gregory Itzin appeared include: Airplane, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Airplane II: The Sequel, Teen Wolf, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Lincoln.

Gregory Itzin was a talented actor who could work on stage or screen in a comedy or drama and make the production better.  He was perfect as Vice President/President Charles Logan on 24.  But that character aside, what a career Mr. Itzin had!  He epitomized what a true character actor should be.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Joseph “Joe” Turkel, best known for his roles in The Shinning and Blade Runner died on Monday, June 27, 2022.  He was 94 years old.  When he was 16 years old, Joe Turkel enlisted in the US Army and served during World War II.  After the war, Mr. Turkel decided on an acting career.

Joe Turkel’s resume contains over 140 credits of television and feature film roles.  Some of the television shows that Mr. Turkel appeared on include: The Lone Ranger, Highway Patrol, Sky King, Dragnet, Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, The Untouchables, Combat!, The Andy Griffith Show, The Rat Patrol, Bonanza, Ironside, Land of the Giants, Adam-12, SWAT, Police Story, Kojak, Fantasy Island and Miami Vice.

Some of the feature films in which Joe Turkel appeared include: The Killing, Paths of Glory, The Sand Pebbles, The Shinning and Blade Runner to name just a few.

Joseph Turkel had a face you couldn’t forget.  As a kid, I remember seeing Mr. Turkel show up on many of the shows I watched.  As an adult I began seeing him in films.  Usually, Mr. Turkel played a bad guy, but I knew he was a good guy to see in the credits.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Joseph Turkel’s family, friends and fans.

Philip Baker Hall died last night peacefully in his sleep surrounded by loved ones.  Mr. Hall was 90.

While you may not recognize Philip Baker Hall’s name, you surely recognize his face if you’re a movie or tv fan.  Mr. Hall was a character actor in the truest sense of the word.  With 185 roles on his resume, Mr. Hall alternated between feature films and television.

Some of the television shows featuring Mr. Hall include: Emergency!, Good Times, Man from Atlantis, MASH, The Waltons, Quincy, Cagney & Lacey, TJ Hooker, Benson, Miami Vice, Family Ties, Flacon Crest, Matlock, Murder She Wrote, Seinfeld, Cheers, Chicago Hope, Third Rock from the Sun, Monk, Boston Legal, The West Wing and Modern Family.

Mr. Hall also appeared in his share of feature films, including: Midnight Run, Say Anything, Ghostbusters II, An Innocent Man, Kiss of Death, Hard Eight, The Rock, Air Force One, Boogie Nights, The Truman Show, Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, The Sum of All Fears, Rush Hour 3, Zodiac and Argo.

Philip Baker Hall was an actor that you’d see and think, “It’s THAT guy!”  I loved him as Lt. Joe Bookman in the two episodes of Seinfeld that he did.  He was also excellent as the star of Hard Eight, where he played a tough professional gambler.  Whenever Philip Baker Hall was in the credits, you knew the show or movie would be better for it.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Philip Baker Hall’s family, friends and fans.

Bo Hopkins died yesterday after suffering a heart attack.  Mr. Hopkins was eighty.

Although he was named William at birth and called Billy as he was growing up, his stage name became Bo when producers of his first off-Broadway play suggested a name change.  Bo was the name of the character he was playing.

Bo Hopkins decided on an acting career after serving in the army.  He began getting parts in local plays, then moved to New York for more stage acting.  Later Mr. Hopkins moved to Hollywood to seek his fame and fortune.  His first roles were guest appearances on television shows.   Then Bo Hopkins got his breakout role in Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch.  For the remainder of his career Mr. Hopkins alternated between television appearances and feature films.

Some of Bo Hopkins’ television appearances are on: The Virginian, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, The Andy Griffith Show, The Rat Patrol, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Bonanza, Ironside, Nichols, Hawaii Five-O, Barnaby Jones, The Rockford Files (4 episodes), Charlie’s Angels, Fantasy Island, The A-Team, The Fall Guy, Dynasty (18 episodes), Matlock and Murder She Wrote.

Feature Films on Bo Hopkins’ resume include: The Wild Bunch, Monte Walsh, The Getaway, The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, American Graffiti, White Lightning, The Killer Elite, Midnight Express, More American Graffiti and Shade.

I first time I saw Bo Hopkins was on The Wild, Wild West, but the role that comes to mind when his name is mentioned is in The Wild Bunch.  Bo Hopkins appeared in quite a few television shows throughout his career and many of them were shows I watched.  I quickly came to realize that if Bo Hopkins showed up in the credits, things were about to go down.  Then he began appearing in movies often opposite of the tough guy stars: Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, Burt Reynolds and James Caan to name a few.  Bo Hopkins made a great adversary.  I also love that Bo Hopkins appeared in Shade with Sly Stallone.  Any time Bo Hopkins name appeared in the credits, I knew we were in for something special.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

Word has come that Ray Liotta died in his sleep at the age of 67.  No cause of death was given.

In 1978, Ray Liotta graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.  He then moved to New York, and within six months landed a regular role on the soap opera Another World.  Three years later, he left the series and moved to LA where he worked in both movies and television for the rest of his career.

Some of Ray Liotta’s memorable television appearances include: St. Elsewhere, Casablanca, The New Mike Hammer, Frasier, The Rat Pack (tv movie), Family Guy, ER, Texas Rising, The Making of the Mob, Modern Family and Shades of Blue.

Ray Liotta’s most notable feature films include: Something Wild, Field of Dreams, Goodfellas, Unlawful Entry, No Escape, Cop Land, Hannibal, Blow, Narc, John Q, Identity, Control, Revolver, Local Color, Smokin’ Aces, Crossing Over, Killing Them Softly, The Iceman, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and No Sudden Move.

I first became aware of Ray Liotta in Goodfellas.  Here was this young actor holding his own with DeNiro and Pesci in a Martin Scorsese film!  Who does that almost straight out of the shoot?  Think about this — within six months of graduating college, Ray Liotta had an agent and a regular gig on television.  Then when he went to California, he quickly began getting roles in films and television.  Ray Liotta worked continuously from the very start of his career.  That didn’t happen by accident or luck.  It happened because Ray Liotta was one of the best actors working.

My favorite Ray Liotta role is as Gary Figgis in Cop Land.  Word is Mr. Liotta wanted the starring role as Freddy Heflin.  The director wanted Stallone for the part.  Some actors would have walked away.  Not Ray Liotta, he took the supporting role and turned in one of his all-time best performances.  There are some real heavyweight actors in Cop Land including Robert DeNiro and Harvey Keitel.  Often the performance fans talk about first is Ray Liotta’s.

I love it whenever Ray Liotta turns up in a television show or movie.  He steals any scene he’s in and makes the production better. If you want to see Ray Liotta in a performance that deserves more attention, check out Narc written and directed by Joe Carnahan. In 2021, Ray Liotta co-starred in No Sudden Move (one of my favorite movies of the year) and turned in a masterful performance.  That same year he appeared as two characters in The Many Saints of Newark and once again showcased his acting chops.  Those two appearances made me excited for what the future held for Ray Liotta.  Although he has a few yet to be released appearances coming, Ray Liotta died too young.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ray Liotta’s family, friends and fans.