Actor Brian Dennehy Dies At 81
Renowned actor Brian Dennehy died on Wednesday night (4/15) at the age of 81. Elizabeth Dennehy, also an actor, posted on Twitter that her father’s passing was due to “natural causes, not Covid-related.”
Brian Dennehy had a long and successful career on stage and screen. He was a two-time Tony Award winner for his performances as Willy Loman in a 1999 revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, and later as James Tyrone in a 2003 production of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night.
Dennehy was seen in many television shows. In a career dating back to the 1970s, he appeared in M*A*S*H, Kojak, Lou Grant, Dallas, Dynasty, Miami Vice and, most recently, The Blacklist. He received six Emmy Award nominations.
I remember Brain Dennehy most for his movies. He starred opposite Sylvester Stallone in First Blood and with the late Chris Farley in Tommy Boy. Dennehy also had significant roles in Semi-Tough, Cocoon, Gorky Park, Legal Eagles, F/X, Presumed Innocent, and Romeo+Juliet.
According to Variety, Brian Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, CT. He served in the Marines from 1959-63, played football at Columbia, and earned his MFA in dramatic arts from Yale. Dennehy died in New Haven, CT and is survived by his wife, Jennifer Arnott, four daughters, and one son.
