Kentucky native Harry Dean Stanton dies

[CitizenBBN]

A character actor that anyone who has seen movies has seen in a film. I couldn't begin to list all his films, but he was already 15 years into his career when he was in Cool Hand Luke, a much bigger role in Alien and by far my favorite role for him, Repo Man.

He was GREAT in Repo Man. So many of his roles were small parts, but in this one he got to really be on screen and develop depth and pretty much play against the lead the whole film.

But then there was "Brain" in Escape from New York, the detective in Christine, Red Dawn, Pretty in Pink, The Green Mile, just so many film roles (over 100 per IMDB) and 50+ TV episodes.

He was born in West Irvine Kentucky, moved to Lexington and graduated Lafayette in 1944, was a WWII vet, and got his start in acting when he went to UK after the war.

Really enjoyed his work, and as a great character guy you never really felt like he was "that guy from that other movie" to me, it was always the right feel with him in movies.

And being a Kentucky guy means something to me too.

[badrose]

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[badrose]

The first movie that came to my mind was Missouri Breaks.

[MickintheHam]

WEST Irvine? Hell it's hard enough to find Irvine.

[Krank]

A character actor that anyone who has seen movies has seen in a film. I couldn't begin to list all his films, but he was already 15 years into his career when he was in Cool Hand Luke, a much bigger role in Alien and by far my favorite role for him, Repo Man.

He was GREAT in Repo Man. So many of his roles were small parts, but in this one he got to really be on screen and develop depth and pretty much play against the lead the whole film.

But then there was "Brain" in Escape from New York, the detective in Christine, Red Dawn, Pretty in Pink, The Green Mile, just so many film roles (over 100 per IMDB) and 50+ TV episodes.

He was born in West Irvine Kentucky, moved to Lexington and graduated Lafayette in 1944, was a WWII vet, and got his start in acting when he went to UK after the war.

Really enjoyed his work, and as a great character guy you never really felt like he was "that guy from that other movie" to me, it was always the right feel with him in movies.

And being a Kentucky guy means something to me too.

This news moves me. Truly one of the great character actors of anytime, but particularly of "modern times" if you will.

Totally agree on Repo Man, Citizen. That film is one of the most ridiculously underrated films ever IMO. One of the funniest movies ever to me, but it always gets tagged with that weak "cult movie" status. At first, that was ONE legit moniker for it, but once it broke out of the midnight movie circuit, it achieved much more respectability over time, yet so many folks never saw it.

The other HUGE role for Stanton, meaning another of his very few lead roles, was almost certainly his greatest performance as well, in Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas, co-starring Nastassja Kinski.

The third major link, for me (and for Harry, I can tell you for sure), was his work with David Lynch. Originally turning down a meet with Lynch to discuss the role of "Frank" (legendarily portrayed, eventually, by Dennis Hopper) in Lynch's greatest film, Blue Velvet, Stanton later played his typically memorable/eccentric/iconic "self as character" style in Lynch's Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me, Inland Empire, and his very last role in this year's televised return of Twin Peaks.

Without question, far and away, my favorite actor hailing from the great Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Edited to add... Stanton was also outstanding as the "Apostle Paul" in Martin Scorcese's most underrated film, The Last Temptation of Christ. Highly recommended FWIW.