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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBrian Dennehy, 'Tommy Boy' and 'First Blood' Star, Dies at 81
Brian Dennehy, the winner of two Tonys in a career that also spanned films including Tommy Boy, First Blood and Cocoon, and television, died on Wednesday night in New Haven, Conn. He was 81.
It is with heavy hearts we announce that our father, Brian passed away last night from natural causes, not Covid-related. Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather, he will be missed by his wife Jennifer, family and many friends, his daughter Elizabeth Dennehy tweeted on Thursday.
His agency ICM also confirmed the news, which TMZ was first to report.
The imposingly tall, barrel-chested Dennehy won his first Tony for his performance as Willy Loman in a revival of Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman in 1999 and his second Tony for his turn as James Tyrone in a revival of Eugene ONeills Long Days Journey Into Night in 2003.
The actor was perhaps the foremost living interpreter of ONeills works. In 2009 Dennehy starred on Broadway as Ephraim Cabot in a revival of the playwrights Desire Under the Elms, and in 2012 he played Larry Slade, the former lefty seeking to drink himself to death, in ONeills The Iceman Cometh at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, reprising the role in 2015 when the production, also starring Nathan Lane, was revived at the BAM Harvey Theater in New York City.
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Cross gently, Brian.
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)Dennis Donovan
(18,770 posts)Aristus
(66,307 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,837 posts)Didn't realize he was that old.
stopbush
(24,393 posts)He was living near us at the time. An imposing figure.
Mike 03
(16,616 posts)bartender in Blake Edwards' movie '10' (with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek).
2naSalit
(86,496 posts)mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)Condolences to his friends and family ...
sandensea
(21,614 posts)Godspeed.
CatWoman
(79,294 posts)excellent movie
imanamerican63
(13,762 posts)barbtries
(28,787 posts)I actually pulled this movie off the shelf last night to watch it. Now I definitely will.
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)monmouth4
(9,691 posts)Roland99
(53,342 posts)customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)ProfessorGAC
(64,951 posts)For any Star Trek fans, his daughter Elizabeth played the role of Commander Shelby in the cliffhanger (2 part) episode " Best of Both Worlds".
This episode was so legendary in Star Trek circles, that reedited, enhanced the audio, put back a couple minutes of cut footage, and did a theatrical release a few years ago.
Like her dad, she was excellent.
Baked Potato
(7,733 posts)Karma13612
(4,547 posts)Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)Playing Willie Logan in Death of a Salesman. He was great.
Midnight Writer
(21,733 posts)Dennehy played the bully in the true story of a man who terrorized a rural area until someone shot him on Main Street in the middle of the day. The whole town clammed up and refused to talk to police, including FBI.
This guy said Dennehy played the role so convincingly that people on set were afraid of him.
DFW
(54,325 posts)First Blood, then Gorky Park, then the FX movies.
He OWNED his roles, really gifted artist!
Tanuki
(14,916 posts)on Broadway, opposite Christopher Plummer. The other play was a vastly underrated but wonderful work by Brian Friel, "Translations," set in Ireland in the 1800s.
RIP
question everything
(47,460 posts)Loved him in Cocoon and in Foreign Affairs with Joanne Woodward
ffr
(22,665 posts)RIP. Thank you for enriching our lives with your craft!
TNNurse
(6,926 posts)I am going to need to see him in that soon.
Butterflylady
(3,539 posts)honest.abe
(8,647 posts)RIP.
Raine
(30,540 posts)I always liked him .. R I P Brian
Submariner
(12,502 posts)Thieves Among Honor: Counterfeit Veterans
https://www.historynet.com/thieves-among-honor-counterfeit-veterans.htm
"Well-known actor Brian Dennehy often shared stories of his service with the Marines in Vietnam. Burkett verified that the movie tough guy was indeed a former Marine but had been discharged in 1963, before any Marines were sent to Vietnam. Dennehy did play football for a Corps team on Okinawa, Burkett reported."
Although this factoid is upsetting for the actor's fans, it is the kind of story veterans, especially Vietnam veterans, deserve to know about.
dware
(12,325 posts)As a Vietnam Veteran Marine myself, this does tarnish his image a little bit with me, but he was still a great actor, my favorite movie was Silverado and F/X.
RIP Brian.