Wilford Brimley, the unlikely character actor who brought both curmudgeonry and geniality to films like Cocoon, The China Syndrome, The Natural and Tender Mercies, has died at the age of 85.
Brimley’s agent Lynda Bensky confirmed to the New York Times that the actor had been sick for two months with kidney ailments; the actor — a longtime spokesperson for Liberty Medical — had been diabetic since the Seventies. Brimley died Saturday at a hospital near St. George, Utah, where the actor resided.
“Wilford Brimley was a man you could trust. He said what he meant and he meant what he said,” Bensky told CNN. “He had a tough exterior and a tender heart. I’m sad that I will no longer get to hear my friend’s wonderful stories. He was one of a kind.”
While Brimley was most often cast as affable yet crotchety types in films like The Natural, Tender Mercies, My Fellow Americans and In & Out, he sometimes lent his gruff characteristics to villain roles, including the squirrelly, paranoid biologist in John Carpenter’s The Thing and the duplicitous chief of security in the Tom Cruise-starring adaptation of The Firm.
In addition to his big screen work, Brimley became known to a generation of TV watchers for his near-constant presence in Quaker Oats ads, as well as his efforts to promote diabetes education in Liberty Mutual commercials, which later took on a second life thanks to YouTube and memes. The American Diabetes Association honored Brimley in 2008 for decades spent imploring viewers to check their blood sugar.
“He was a wonderful man, a joy to be around, and his dry sense of humor and iconic voice left an everlasting impression on every person he met,” Brimley’s talent agent Dominic Mancini, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“To know Wilford was to love Wilford. He had an amazing career and sliced through the screen with his dry wit, stoic stature and powerful conveyance. His unique blend of unexpected comedy and indelible storytelling will always remain unmatched.”
RIP Wilford Brimley – so many great performances, but I’ll never forget seeing him sing this surprisingly tender "It's Not Easy Being Green" https://t.co/xdvh9qGhMj
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) August 2, 2020
From Rolling Stone US
