Brian Dennehy, one of the best character actors of the ’80s and ’90s, passed away on Wednesday night (April 15), according to TMZ. His family confirmed that it was from natural causes, not from anything related to the COVID-19 outbreak. He was 81.
Born in 1938 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Dennehy worked as a stockbroker before he began getting steady work as an actor. He made small appearances in Semi-Tough with Burt Reynolds, Foul Play with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, and the infamous 10 with Bo Derek and Dudley Moore. It wasn’t until he took a role in the nighttime soap Dynasty that his career really began to take off, and he parlayed that initial success into getting an iconic, career-defining role.
Overall, Dennehy is probably best known for his work in Ted Kotcheff’s First Blood, which jumpstarted both the Rambo franchise and Dennehy’s career on the silver screen. It’s a film stacked with good work from all involved, but his antagonistic sheriff gives the film a backbone — an immovable object to the unstoppable force of Sly Stallone’s John Rambo.
***
After that film, he parlayed that success into a solid career on the big screen, with roles in the Cocoon films, the F/X series, Silverado, Gorky Park and plenty of others. On top of that, he acted in dozens of television movies and made guest appearances on any number of the day’s biggest shows. But he holds a special place in the heart of many a ’90s kid for his role as Big Tom Callahan in Peter Segal’s Tommy Boy, alongside Chris Farley and David Spade.
***
He kept working over the years, and it was always a pleasure to see him pop up in small roles in, say, Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups, Michael Mayer’s The Seagull or even Jeff Tomsic’s Tag.
Dennehy is survived by his wife and five children. He will be missed.