Yet more loss strikes us this week, as it’s been revealed that actor Rip Torn, most famous for roles in Men In Black and The Larry Sanders Show, has passed away.
The Texas-born actor died in his home at Lakefield, Connecticut at age 88. He leaves behind his wife Amy Wright, along with six children from his three marriages.
Rip Torn had a long and varied career but is perhaps best known internationally for appearing in 1997’s Men In Black and 2001’s Dodgeball. It was in MIB that his role of Zed had him nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor in a motion picture. The same year, Torn was the voice of Zeus in Disney’s Hercules, in a cast filled with the likes of James Woods and Tate Donovan.
American viewers may well remember Rip Torn for his role as Artie the producer in the much-loved 90’s sitcom, The Larry Sanders Show. The show, a satire about show-business, was hailed as “One of the Greatest Achievements in Television” by The New York Post and “The Closest Sitcom Ever Came to Perfect Pitch” according to Time. Through his work on the show, Rip Torn was nominated for six consecutive Emmy awards as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He won the award once, being the only actor on the show to do so.
The community on Twitter showed off its love for the late actor.
Seth McFarlane reminisced on Torn’s roles as Artie and Bob Diamond from The Larry Sanders Show and Defending Your Life respectively.
Rip Torn always made me laugh. Artie and Bob Diamond were two utterly unforgettable characters.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) July 10, 2019
Even Sony’s Santa Monica Studio signaled their appreciation for the talent of Rip Torn. Players of the studio’s God of War III will recognize him as the voice of Hephaestus:
R.I.P. Rip Torn, the legendary Hephaestus, and forever etched in our lore. pic.twitter.com/6Xt3vqbjyJ
— Santa Monica Studio is Watching Raising Kratos (@SonySantaMonica) July 10, 2019
