Category: RIP

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.

John Aylward, a character actor who is best known for his roles on The West Wing and ER, died on May 16th at the age of 75.  No cause of death was given.

John Aylward graduated from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor’s Training Program in 1970.  The biggest majority of his career until the mid-1980s when he started getting roles on television and in movies.  For the rest of his career Mr. Aylward alternated between feature films and television.  His best known roles were as Dr. Donald Anspaugh on 74 episodes of ER and The West Wing where he played former DNC Chair, Barry Goodwin.  Other notable television appearances include the series: Ally McBeal, The X-Files, The Practice, Law & Order, Boston Legal, Alias, The Mentalist,  CSI, Mad Men, Fringe, American Horror Story, Yellowstone and Briarpatch.  Some of Mr. Aylward’s feature film appearances include: Armageddon, The Crazies, Water for Elephants, Gangster Squad and The Way Back.

John Aylward was a character actor that would have found work in any era.  Like most character actors, you might not recognize his name, but you knew his face.  You also knew that John Aylward’s appearance in any movie or television show meant it was going to get a little better because he was in it.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John Aylward’s family, friends and fans.

Fred Ward’s publicist announced today that Mr. Ward died on Sunday, May 8, 2022, at the age of 79.  No cause of death was given.  

Before Fred Ward began his career as an actor he spent time in the Air Force, as a boxer and a lumberjack!  No wonder Mr. Ward was often cast as a tough guy!  Fred Ward’s earliest roles were small parts, often uncredited in movies and television.  His first big break came when he played one of the convicts who with Clint Eastwood was able to Escape from Alcatraz.  

Fred Ward continued to get bigger parts in features such as Southern Comfort, The Right Stuff, Silkwood and Uncommon Valor.  Then in 1985, Fred Ward starred in the film that was supposed to make him a megastar, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.  Unfortunately, the film fizzled at the box office.  The adventure began and ended there.  Luckily for movie-goers, Fred Ward’s career didn’t.

For the rest of Fred Ward’s life he continued to alternate between television and feature films.  Some of his best known television parts came in Cast a Deadly Spell, Invasion Earth, Grey’s Anatomy, ER and True Detective.  Fred Ward’s best known feature films include Tremors, Miami Blues, Henry & June, Thunderheart, The Player, Tremors II: Aftershock and 2 Guns.

I first saw Fred Ward in Escape from Alcatraz.  But it was when he appeared in Carny, Southern Comfort and Uncommon Valor that I really took notice.  Mr. Ward had a tough guy charisma and I was pulling for him with Remo Williams.  Sadly, that film just didn’t work. But Fred Ward continued to  Whenever Fred Ward’s name was in the credits, you knew the film/show would be better because of him.  Although Andrew Vachss’ Burke character was never developed for movies or tv, I always thought that Fred Ward would have perfect.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Fred Ward’s family, friends and fans.

Marvin J. Chomsky, the four time Emmy winning director and producer died on March 28th at the age of 92.  No cause of death was given.

Mr. Chomsky began his career as an art and set director.  He began directing in 1964 on the television series The Doctors and the Nurses where he helmed three episodes.  Mr. Chomsky spent the bulk of his career working in television where he directed some of the most popular tv series (usually multiple episodes) and television movies.  Mr. Chomsky also directed five feature films.

A sample of some of the series where Mr. Chomsky served as a director include: The Wild, Wild West; Star Trek; Gunsmoke; Lancer, The Magical World of Disney; The Name of the Game; Bearcats!; Mission Impossible; Hawaii 5-0; Mannix; The Magician and Police Story.

Some of the tv movies directed by Marvin Chomsky include: Mrs. Sundance; Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan; Victory at Entebbe; Attica and Catherine the Great.

A few of the TV mini-series on which Marvin Chomsky directed include: Roots; Holocaust; Peter the Great; The Deliberate Stranger; Billionaire Boys Club and Brotherhood of the Rose.

His feature films include: Evel Knievel; Mackintosh and T.J.; Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff and Tank.

Mr. Chomsky won three Emmy Awards: as Outstanding Director for a Drama Series for Holocaust in 1978; as Outstanding Director for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special for Attica in 1980 and for Inside the Third Reich in 1982.  When Mr. Chomsky accepted his third Emmy for directing, he was said that he had won awards for directing projects about events that “never should have happened.”

Marvin Chomsky directed episodes of some of my favorite shows when I was a kid: The Wild, Wild West; Star Trek; (the short-lived) Bearcats! and (also short-lived) The Magician.  Another favorite directed by Mr. Chomsky was Brotherhood of the Rose based on David Morrell’s best selling novel.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marvin Chomsky’s family, friends and fans.

William Hurt’s son announced today that his father died of natural causes one week short of his 72 birthday.  William Hurt’s acting career spanned over 40 years.  He appeared on the stage, television and feature films.

Mr. Hurt began his career as a stage actor and won  an Obie Award (Off Broadway Theater Award) for his debut performance in Corinne Jacker’s My Life in 1977.  In 1977, he also made his first television appearance in Kojak.  William Hurt’s feature film debut came in 1980’s Altered States and his performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Actor in a motion picture.

For the rest of his career William Hurt continued to appear on stage, television and in feature films.  He won one Oscar for Best Actor (Kiss of the Spider Woman) and had four Best Actor Oscar nominations.  Three of the nominations came in three successive years!

Some of William Hurt’s most notable feature film appearances were in: Altered States; Body Heat; The Big Chill; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Children of a Lesser God; Broadcast News; The Accidental Tourist; Dark City;  A.I. Artificial Intelligence; The Village;  A History of Violence; Captain America: Civil War; Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game.

Some of Mr. Hurt’s most notable television appearances were in: Kojak; Varian’s War; Damages; Endgame; Too Big to Fail and Bonnie & Clyde.

My favorite William Hurt performance was in Body Heat.  I had seen him prior to that but his performance as Ned Racine was the one that made me sit up and take notice.  It was interesting to see how William Hurt was able to adapt to different roles over the course of his long and memorable career.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to William Hurt’s family, friends and fans.

Johnny Brown, actor and singer, died on March 3, 2022, at the age of 84.  No cause of death was reported.

Mr. Brown began his career as singer.  He toured with Sam “the man” Taylor.  In 1961, Johnny Brown released an album of his own.  Sammy Davis Jr. became a mentor to Johnny Brown and this led to Brown’s role in Golden Boy on Broadway.  His first movie role was in Sammy Davis’ film, A Man Named Adam.

Johnny Brown was a regular on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.  His contract on Laugh-In prevented him from accepting the role of Redd Fox’s son on Sanford & Son.  After Laugh-In, Mr. Brown was a regular on Good Times,  Other major appearances include the shows: Love American Style, Night Gallery, Maude, Chico and the Man, Gimme a Break, Archie Bunker’s Place, The Jeffersons, Fantasy Island and Family Matters.

Johnny Brown always made me smile.  I’ll miss seeing him pop-up in surprising places.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Johnny Brown’s family, friends and fans.

Mitchell Ryan, the actor of stage and screen, died yesterday from heart failure at the age of 88.  Mr. Ryan’s career spanned over 60 years, so depending on your age you may know him best from his work on Dark Shadows, Lethal Weapon, Dharma & Greg or any of his well over 130 credits.

Mitchell Ryan began his career in a theater production of Thunder Road.  His Broadway credits include Wait Until Dark, Medea and The Price.  In 1958, he earned his first screen credit in the Robert Mitchum film, Thunder Road.  For the rest of his career, Mitchell Ryan alternated between television and feature films.

A few of his major television roles included the shows: Naked City, Dark Shadows, The High Chaparral, Cannon, Chase, Having Babies, The Chisholms, Hardcastle & McCormick, Dallas, Renegade, Murder She Wrote and Dharma & Greg.

Some of his more memorable film roles were in: High Plains Drifter, Electra Glide in Blue, Lethal Weapon, and Judge Dredd.

Mitchell Ryan was always a welcome addition to any movie or tv show.  He played a great bad guy – one who came off as smart, tough and just a bit arrogant.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ryan Mitchell’s family, friends and fans.

Frank Pesce, the memorable character actor of movies and television, died on February 6th at the age of 75.  Mr. Pesce’s girlfriend, Tammy Scher reported the cause of death to be dementia-related.

Frank Pesce began his career in 1976 with a role on Police Story.  Mr. Pesce then stayed busy alternating between feature films, guest spots on tv series and appearances in movies made for television.

Some feature films that Mr. Pesce appeared in include: Rocky, Paradise Alley, American Gigolo, Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, MIdnight Run, Lock Up, Donnie Brasco, Grudge Match, The Expendables, Reach Me and Creed!

Frank Pesce’s television appearances include roles in: Kojak, Knight Rider, The Greatest American Hero, Hardcastle and McCormick, Miami Vice, Airwolf, Cagney & Lacey, Matlock, Who’s the Boss, Jake & the Fatman and Karen Sisco.

What a career Frank Pesce had!  I love that he developed friendships with stars like Sly Stallone, Robert Forester and Tony Danza.  The fact that Mr. Pesce was used so often (and many times repeatedly by stars/directors) speaks to his professionalism.  I always enjoyed a Frank Pesce appearance!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Frank Pesce’s family, friends and fans.