Veteran Actor Brian Dennehy Dead at 81

Brian Dennehy, who earned nearly 200 acting credits during his career, has died. He was 81.

TMZ reports he passed away on Wednesday night in Connecticut. Law enforcement sources say he died of natural causes, and that there are no plans to perform an autopsy. His daughter confirmed his death was not related to COVID-19.

Dennehy started out in the 1970s doing guests spots on television and appearing in such films as “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” (1977), “Foul Play” (1978), and “10” (1979) before landing the role of Jake Dunham on “Dynasty” in 1981. An early breakthrough was as Teasle in the Rambo movie “First Blood” alongside Sylvester Stallone in 1982.

Other notable films included “Cocoon” and “Silverado” (both 1985), “Presumed Innocent” (1990) and one of his best-known movies, “Tommy Boy” (1995). In more recent years, he appeared on “The Blacklist” (2016-2019) as Dominic Wilkinson.

An award-winning and prolific stage actor, he won two Tonys for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, for “Death of a Salesman” (1999) and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (2003). He also won the 2001 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in the 2001 TV movie version of “Death of a Salesman.” He was nominated for the Emmy six times

Dennehy is survived by his wife, Jennifer Arnott, and five children, including actress Elizabeth Dennehy.

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