Obit
Actor Wilford Brimley Dies At Age 85 And Ron Howard & John Carpenter Pay Tribute
Actor Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from stunt performer to star of film such as “Cocoon” and “The Natural,” died Saturday morning, Aug. 1, 2020. He was 85.
Utah-born Brimley found his way into the film industry through stunt work around horse riding, before taking on successively larger roles in his 40s and 50s which brought him fame playing sometimes gruff but lovable moustachioed seniors.
In Ron Howard’s 1985 Sci-Fi feature “Cocoon”, Brimley played a man in his 70s who together with the other residents of a Florida retirement home, discovers an alien energy source that rejuvenates them.
Another memorable role came alongside Tom Cruise in the 1993 legal thriller, “The Firm”, where Brimley played a sinister security official for a law firm.
He also starred in THE THING from director John Carpenter.
The director paid tribute to Brimley on Twitter
The actor even gave a nod to the 1982 film over on Twitter in 2018.
Actor Barbara Hershey, who starred with Brimley in several films, described him on Twitter as a wonderful man and actor who “always made me laugh”.
Brimley got his big break in 1979, when he appeared opposite Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon and Michael Douglas in The China Syndrome and starred in The Natural.
The actor also appeared in Absence of Malice, from director Sydney Pollack. The film stars Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban.
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