Brian Dennehy has died. The 81-year-old veteran character actor succumbed to natural causes – not COVID-19 – on Wednesday night of natural causes in New Haven, Connecticut. According to a tweet by his daughter, actress Elizabeth Dennehy, he was, “Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather.
Dennehy’s career began in the 1970s with a small guest roles on TV shows like “Kojak,” “M*A*S*H,” “Lou Grant,” and “Dallas” before landing a recurring role on “Dynasty” in 1981. The next year, he got his breakout movie role in “First Blood.” He went on to star in “Silverado,” “Cocoon,” “Presumed Innocent,” and “Best Seller.” One of his most notable roles was in 1995’s “Tommy Boy.” He also voiced Django in “Ratatouille” and appeared on “The Blacklist.” When it was all said and done, he had nearly 200 film and TV credits to his name.
Dennehy leaves behind his second wife, Jennifer, and five children.
- Sylvester Stallone paid tribute to his “First Blood” co-star in a touching IG post. “He simply was a brilliant performer,” he noted. “He also was a Vietnam vet that helped me very much building the character of RAMBO. The world has lost a great artist.”
