Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn has died at the age of 88
ced Tuesday, July 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rip Torn, the free-spirited Texan who overcame his quirky name to become a distinguished actor in theater, television and movies and win an Emmy in his 60s for his comedy turn on TV’s “The Larry Sanders Show,” has died. He was 88.
Torn died Tuesday afternoon at his home with his wife, Amy Wright, and daughters Katie Torn and Angelica Page by his side, according to his publicist Rick Miramontez. No cause of death was given.
His career on stage and screen spanned seven decades, ranging from an early career of dark, threatening roles to iconic comedic performances later in life.
After acclaimed performances in “Cross Creek,” ″Sweet Bird of Youth”: and other dramas, Torn turned to comedy to capture his Emmy as the bombastic, ethically challenged television producer in “The Larry Sanders Show.” Created by and starring Garry Shandling, HBO’s spoof of TV talk shows aired from 1992 to 1998 and is widely credited with inspiring such satirical programs as “30 Rock” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Born Elmore Rual Torn, the actor adopted the name Rip in his boyhood, following the tradition of his father and uncle. It was the subject of endless ridicule during his early days as a stage actor in New York, and fellow drama students urged him to change it.
With customary stubbornness, he refused, eventually overcoming the jokes with a series of powerful performances that led to his being regarded, along with Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and James Dean, as actors of a postwar generation who brought tense realism to their craft. He was also a political activist who joined James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte and other cultural and civil rights leaders for a frank and emotional 1963 meeting with then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy about the country’s treatment of blacks.
Torn made his film debut in 1956 in an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ “Baby Doll,” and within a few years was a respected film and television actor, working on occasions with his second wife, Geraldine Page. At the Actors Studio, he gained the attention of Elia Kazan, who hired him as understudy to Alex Nicol, then playing Brick Pollitt in the Tennessee Williams classic, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Toward the end of the show’s Broadway run, Torn took over the role of the alcoholic, emotionally troubled former football hero. He did so billed against his wishes as Elmore Torn.
Cast later in a “U.S. Steel Hour” production for television, he was told to either change his name or forfeit the role. He threatened to return to his native Texas, but finally agreed to be credited as Eric Torn. He was billed as Rip Torn thereafter. His success eventually inspired a younger cousin to take up acting, too — Oscar winner Sissy Spacek.
Other film credits included: “Critics Choice” and “The Cincinnati Kid.” In Albert Brooks’ “Defending Your Life,” he was featured as a gregarious attorney in the afterlife.
On television he played such figures as Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson and Walt Whitman.
His career hit a dry spell in the 1970s, and he blamed it on the buzz in Hollywood at the time that he was difficult to work with, a reputation sealed when tension on the set of “Easy Rider” led to his being replaced by Jack Nicholson for the 1969 release and missing out on one of the biggest hits of the era.
“I wouldn’t say that I was blacklisted,” he told The Associated Press in 1984, “but the word got around that I was difficult and unreliable. Unreliable! In all my years in the theater I have never missed a performance.”
He managed to keep working in small projects in theater, films and TV, returning to the mainstream in 1983 with “Cross Creek,” in which he played table-smashing backwoodsman Marsh Turner. The role brought him his only Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor.
Among his other films: “City Heat,” ″The Hunt for Red October” and “Men in Black.”
But he never entirely shook his rebellious reputation.
“What do they say about all the guys that are tremendous actors?” he told The New York Times in 2006. “Don’t they say they have a volatile temper and emotions? Yeah, sure they do! They’re not saying they like a nice, mild guy. Look at Sean Penn.
In 1994, actor-director Dennis Hopper said on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” that Torn once pulled a knife in a New York restaurant as he complained about being replaced in “Easy Rider.” He sued Hopper for slander and won a $475,000 judgment.
He remained active in film and television in later years, including a recurring role in “30 Rock” and a voice acting gig in the 2007 animated “Bee Movie.”
He weathered a couple of drunken driving arrests, including one in December 2008 near his home in Salisbury, Connecticut, that led to his placement in an alcohol education program.
Born in Temple, Texas, Torn initially studied agriculture at Texas A&M and acting at the University of Texas. After service as a military policeman during the Korean War, he hitchhiked to Hollywood. Landing only tiny roles in movies and TV dramas, and supporting himself as a fry cook and dishwasher, he decided to shift to New York and seek more training as an actor.
Torn and his first wife, actress Ann Wedgeworth, had a daughter, Danae, before divorcing. In 1963 he married Page, with whom he had co-starred in the touring production and movie version of “Sweet Bird of Youth.” They had three children, a daughter, Angelica, and twins Jon and Tony, and appeared in productions together until her death in 1987. Torn also had two children, Katie and Claire, with actress Amy Wright.
Joined: 25 Apr 2015 Posts: 31783 Location: Anaheim, CA
Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 9:39 pm Post subject:
He was absolutely brilliant as Artie in "The Larry Sanders Show." As crazy as this sounds, I first noticed him in the 1985 comedy "Summer Rental", which starred John Candy. He was a very talented man, and had a topsy-turvy life, by the sounds of it. RIP.
He was absolutely brilliant as Artie in "The Larry Sanders Show." As crazy as this sounds, I first noticed him in the 1985 comedy "Summer Rental", which starred John Candy. He was a very talented man, and had a topsy-turvy life, by the sounds of it. RIP.
I loved him on that show. It's sad both he and Garry Shandling are gone. RIP.
The song Torn by Natalie Imbruglia was on the radio when I turned on my car ignition earlier, only about an hour ago. This can't be a coincidence if Rip Torn died. I must've missed the tribute by the DJ. _________________ GOAT MAGIC REEL SEDALE TRIBUTE EDDIE DONX!
Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 67313 Location: In a world where admitting to not knowing something is considered a great way to learn.
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:37 am Post subject:
I remember him most for Men In Black. RIP agent Zed _________________ Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Joined: 14 Apr 2001 Posts: 144432 Location: The Gold Coast
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:37 pm Post subject:
I was listening to Conway Jr last night and Rip was originally supposed to play the Nicholson role in Easy Rider. He was replaced when Dennis Hopper said that Rip pulled a knife on him. Rip said that Hopper pulled a knife on him. RIP _________________ RIP mom. 11-21-1933 to 6-14-2023.
Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 52624 Location: Making a safety stop at 15 feet.
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:44 pm Post subject:
venturalakersfan wrote:
I was listening to Conway Jr last night and Rip was originally supposed to play the Nicholson role in Easy Rider. He was replaced when Dennis Hopper said that Rip pulled a knife on him. Rip said that Hopper pulled a knife on him. RIP
That story was very much contested and in fact Torn won a half million dollar judgement against Hopper for claiming on The Tonight show that Torn had pulled the knife. _________________ You thought God was an architect, now you know
He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow
And everything you built that’s all for show
goes up in flames
In 24 frames
Joined: 12 Feb 2002 Posts: 3829 Location: South Orange County
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2019 7:10 pm Post subject:
ChefLinda wrote:
ChickenStu wrote:
He was absolutely brilliant as Artie in "The Larry Sanders Show." As crazy as this sounds, I first noticed him in the 1985 comedy "Summer Rental", which starred John Candy. He was a very talented man, and had a topsy-turvy life, by the sounds of it. RIP.
I loved him on that show. It's sad both he and Garry Shandling are gone. RIP.
Artie made that show. You are right, he was brilliant in it. Thank you Rip Torn for bringing me so much joy and laughter. Rest In Peace.
Emmy winner Rip Torn’s cause of death revealed five months after his death
The cause of death for late actor Rip Torn has been revealed, five months after he died.
The “Larry Sanders Show” actor, born Elmore Rual Torn Jr., died on July 9 at age 88 “due to (or as a consequence of) Alzeheimer’s dementia,” according to his death certificate, obtained by TMZ. The certificate states that Torn was diagnosed “years” prior to his death.
According to the document TMZ published, the comedic actor was buried in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on July 12.
During his six-decade career, Torn won an Emmy for “The Larry Sanders Show,” was nominated for eight more. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 1984 Oscars for “Cross Creek.”
Torn also had roles in Disney’s animated “Hercules,” “Men in Black,” and 2004’s “DodgeBall.”
Torn is survived by his six children, daughters Danae, Angelica, Katie, and Claire as well as his twin sons Tony and Jon. He was married to his third wife, Amy Wright, from 1989 until his death.
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