Character Actor Charles Napier Dead at 75

Roger Ebert referred to him as “that character actor with a smile like Jaws”. When author Jimmy McDonough titled his Russ Meyer biography Big Bosoms and Square Jaws, the bosoms could have referred to any and all of Meyer’s starlets but everyone knew the square jaw he was referring to could only belong to Charles Napier. After a stint in the army, Napier became a teacher and then got the acting bug. Russ Meyer recognized that his cartoonish grin and jutting chin made a perfect complement to the bigger-than-life women he cast in his films so gave Napier his first starring roles in CHERRY HARRY & RAQUEL, BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (both 1970), and SUPERVIXENS (1975). Napier was well-remembered in the original Star Trek episode The Way To Eden as the paradise-seeking hippie Adam and soon become an in-demand and familiar character actor in movies and TV and his growly delivery led to the recording of much voice-over work, including replacing the late Ted ‘Lurch’ Cassidy as the voice of Lou Ferrigno’s The Incredible Hulk. Director Jonathan Demme cast Napier in his films frequently and everyone remembers him as the ill-fated Lt. Boyle, charged with guarding Hannibal Lecter in that cage in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991). Charles Napier died today at age 75. There’s nothing yet in any of the major online papers, but here’s a nice article and brief interview from his hometown of Bakersfield, CA:

Veteran Hollywood actor Charles Napier, a resident of Kern County since the 1980s, died Wednesday afternoon at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, according to a family friend. He was 75.

Though he appeared in Oscar-winning films like “Philadephia” and “Silence of the Lambs,” it was in his earlier work — decidely edgier fare — that he first attracted the attention of A-list Hollywood directors like Jonathan Demme and Alfred Hitchcock. Early Z-grade films like “Supervixens” established Napier as a go-to tough guy and he deployed his unique brand of wild-eyed bravado to entertaining effect throughout his career on both big and small screens.

Napier was able to recount his uproarious life as an actor kicking around from set to set, never truly breaking through, in his entertaining memoir titled “Square Jaw and Big Heart,” released in March. The response to his two book-signings at Russo’s Books in Bakersfield was so overwhelming that the shop ran out of copies and was forced to issue rain checks to Napier’s fans.

“He spent a lot of time with each person and he took a lot of time,” said Tony Russo, owner of the book store. “When the books came in, we gave them to Charlie to sign and then he put a print from his pictures in the books and said, ‘Thank you for waiting for the book.’ He would be easy to be a friend with, sit down and talk to or have a beer with. You wouldn not know he was an actor.”……….

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