Irish-American actor Brian Dennehy, best known for his roles in Tommy Boy and First Blood, has died aged 81.
Dennehy's daughter, Elizabeth Dennehy, tweeted the news on Thursday, saying her father passed away "last night from natural causes".
"It is with heavy hearts we announce that our father, Brian, passed away last night from natural causes, not Covid-related.
"Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather, he will be missed by his wife Jennifer, family and many friends".
It is with heavy hearts we announce that our father, Brian passed away last night from natural causes, not Covid-related. Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather, he will be missed by his wife Jennifer, family and many friends. pic.twitter.com/ILyrGpLnc3
— Elizabeth Dennehy (@dennehyeliza) April 16, 2020
The acclaimed actor, who won two Tony Awards, six Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, played a sheriff who pursues Vietnam veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) in First Blood (1982) and a district attorney in the Harrison Ford film Presumed Innocent (1990).
Dennehy was a regular visitor to Ireland and appeared here in stage productions of The Iceman Cometh and John B. Keane’s The Field.
One of his most notable roles came in 1995, when he played Big Tom Callahan in Tommy Boy.
He also portrayed a lawmen in Gorky Park (1983), and starred in Silverado (1985), F/X (1986) and its sequel, Best Seller (1987), The Last of the Finest (1990) and the remake of Assault on Precinct 13 (2005), and starred as detective Jack Reed in five NBC telefilms from 1993-96, writing and directing four of them.
Dennehy is survived by his wife and five children.
