A Tribute to Ed Lauter (1938-2013)

400px-TEmodel103The Back Row loves to pay tribute to character actors after they pass away and Ed Lauter was the walking personification of a character actor. Lauter died of mesothelioma on October 16, 2013 at the age of 74, bringing an end to a prolific career in which he amassed over 200 film and television credits. Lauter was the quintessential “that guy” in that he had a very recognizable and distinctive face, but never really had one specific career-defining role. However, the dude was practically in EVERYTHING! Lauter never stopped working since the early 1970s, appearing in such films as The Longest Yard (both the original and the remake), Family Plot, French Connection IICujo, YoungbloodThe Rocketeer, True Romance, Not Another Teen Movie, Seabiscuit, Thirteen DaysTalladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby, The Artist and the 1976 version of King Kong. He also made guest appearances on such shows as ER, CSIThe X-Files, Walker: Texas Ranger, NYPD Blue, Miami Vice, The A-Team, Magnum P.I. and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Of course, I’ll always have a soft spot for his role as Lieutenant Shriker in the surrealist classic, Death Wish 3, teaming up with Charles Bronson to shoot up a neighbourhood full of muggers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnPgCRLFpK8

This entry was posted in Movies. Bookmark the permalink.