Wilford Brimley, the unlikely character actor who brought both curmudgeonry and geniality to films like Cocoon, The China Syndrome, The Natural and Tender Mercies, has died at the age of 85. Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from movie stunt rider to an indelible character actor who brought gruff charm, and sometimes menace, to a … He was 85. The man famous for Diabetes awareness and Quaker Oats commercials, has passed away. Wells, Episode: "One Step to Darkness"; as A. Wilford Brimley, Episodes: Pilot, "Hard Ride Home"; as A. Wilford Brimley, This page was last edited on 20 February 2021, at 04:57. “Wilford Brimley was a man you could trust,” Bensky said in a statement. [22] In 1993, Brimley sang with the Cal State Northridge Jazz Band for a concert benefiting the college's Jazz Endowment Scholarship Fund. Because of his Western bona fides, I found it a bit surprising when reviewing Brimley’s filmography for this article to find that he didn’t play in that many Westerns. N.M. Panel Rejects Cockfighting Ban Plan", "Event #27 – WSOP World Championship – No Limit Hold'em (Day 4) Results & Report", "McCain's Unveils His Answer To Chuck Norris", "Wilford Brimley, 'Cocoon' star and Quaker Oats pitchman, is dead at 85", "Wilford Brimley List of Movies and TV Shows", "Brimley, Wilford 1934– (A. Wilford Brimley, Bill Brimley)", "2013 Maverick Movie Awards & Nominations", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilford_Brimley&oldid=1007837778, United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Assistant U.S. Attorney General James A. He was 85 and had not worked in films since 2017. He was 85. Brimley died Saturday in a St. George, Utah hospital of a kidney ailment. His most exotic pre-acting gig was serving as a bodyguard for Howard Hughes. He succeeded in a very competitive vocation without the benefit, if such it is, of any acting training. [30] He visited Veterans Administration hospitals and communities to advise patients on how to manage their diseases. At the end of January I watched a video message...Read More, “The Resistance was great for business” is the engaging title...Read More, Last Friday, during President Biden's G7 debut, he announced a...Read More, The public health community has long since concluded that the...Read More, It might have been Michelle Malkin — if it wasn't,...Read More, Joe Biden has a besotted media in the palm of...Read More, Remembering Wilford Brimley — It’s the Right Thing to Do, Wilford Brimley in “The Firm” (YouTube screenshot), Hunter Biden Cashed In to Fuel His Drug and Sex Habits, Targeting People With Mental Illness and Dementia for Euthanasia. Wilford Brimley has offered his endorsement in the Wyoming gubernatorial election. They had four sons together: James Charles, John Michael, William Carmen, and Lawrence Dean. I'll bet he had a bastard of a time buying alcohol. The actor died Saturday morning at a Utah hospital, according to his manager, Lynda Bensky. He was 85. In the climactic scene of The China Syndrome, Brimley defends his boss at the nuclear power plant to a crusading reporter, played from atop a moral high horse by Jane Fonda. ... Brimley occasionally did delve into regional politics, though — often on the losing side. [29] The ADA presented the award to him at the Port St. Lucie headquarters of Liberty Medical on December 19, 2008. Wells. As part of the ad campaign, he spoke openly about his struggles with the disease and offered advice to others, delivered in his folksy manner. He projected on the screen, as well as lived in his personal life, the hard-headed wisdom, values, and good humor of Heartland America. He whoops up eating that company’s oatmeal with the invariable tag line, “It’s the right thing to do.” These home-spun commercials were almost enough — though not quite — to get me to eat oatmeal more often for breakfast. They were married until her death in June 2000. ", "Wilford Brimley, Cocoon Star and Face of Quaker Oats Commercials, Dies at 85: 'One of a Kind, "Wilford Brimley, 'Cocoon' and 'Natural' actor, dies at 85", "Wilford Brimley, 'Cocoon' actor who appeared in Quaker Oats commercials, dies at 85", "Actor Feeling His Oats as Singer: Wilford Brimley will perform with a jazz band at a benefit concert Saturday for a new CSUN scholarship fund", "Wilford Brimley: This Time the Dream's on Me", "Craig Ferguson 11/23/11E Late Late Show Wilford Brimley XD", "Actor Wilford Brimley surprised with award from American Diabetes Association in Port St. Lucie", "Cockfighting still legal in New Mexico. [38] In the days leading up to his selection for vice president, McCain jokingly stated that he would pick Brimley: "He's a former Marine and great guy and he's older than I am, so that might work. Woke Coke Shows Why Bush Republicanism Is Dead, Kids Not in School? Brimley's mother was of half Danish descent, and also had Welsh, English, German, and Swiss-German ancestry. A fine actor. He was 85. He was on dialysis and had several medical ailments, she… Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from stunt performer to the star of film such as “Cocoon” and “The Natural,” has died. [12] He also starred in Cocoon: The Return, a 1988 sequel. Anthony Wilford Brimley was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 27, 1934. He was 85 years old. Here's Wilford Brimley at the super young age of 41 in 1976. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) honored him in 2008 with an award to recognize his lifetime of service. Brimley then appeared as Pop Fisher, world-weary manager of a slumping baseball team, in The Natural (1984). Brimley’s Western authenticity comes from the fact he was authentically Western. [21], Brimley has been described as "a fine singer with a warm, rich voice". [CDATA[*/Insticator.ad.loadAd("div-insticator-ad-1");Insticator.ad.loadAd("div-insticator-ad-2");Insticator.load("em",{id : "6cf39429-6912-4a91-b1e2-3e9365a5e9c6"});/*]]>*/. Brimley was only 49 when he was cast in the role, and turned 50 during filming; he was at least 20 years younger than any of the actors playing the other retirement home residents. [26] Brimley married Beverly Berry on October 31, 2007. Later, Brimley made a brief but pivotal appearance in Absence of Malice (1981) as the curmudgeonly, outspoken Assistant Attorney General James A. [33] He spoke against the banning of cockfighting in New Mexico on the basis of his support of individual rights. While he never established himself as a leading man, he made his name as one of nature's great supporting actors, and tended to elevate any project he appeared in. [19] He appeared in commercials for the American Diabetes Association[20] and was the voice-over for a Bryan Foods television commercial campaign. Those whose viewing leans to the small rather than the large screen may remember Brimley from The Waltons, or from his long-running commercials for Quaker Oats. We remarked that Selleck and Brimley, along with Sam Elliott, are just about the last remaining Hollywood actors convincing as Old West characters. He specialized in playing cranky but smart characters, often with a soft heart behind the bluster. [22][23] He was also an accomplished harmonica player; during his 2011 appearance on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Brimley performed a lively rendition of "Oh! [3] He then began shoeing horses for film and television. At the behest of his close friend and fellow actor Robert Duvall, he began acting in the 1960s as a riding extra and stunt man in westerns. The news saddens me as I’ve enjoyed Brimley’s pleasing screen presence over the decades. He made an auspicious mainstream comeback with the TNT film Crossfire Trail (2001), co-starring with Tom Selleck (whom he had previously worked with in the 1980s film High Road to China). Is Mass Immigration Killing Two-Party Democracy in the U.S.? [35] Brimley enjoyed playing poker[36] and played in the World Series of Poker Main Event. He was 85. In 2004, he released This Time, The Dream's On Me, an album of jazz standards named after the Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer-penned title track. I never get the girl. Alas, Brimley is now gone, and both Selleck and Elliott are getting a bit long in the tooth to spend a long day in the saddle or to clean out a saloon full of bad guys. [6] Prior to a career in acting, he dropped out of high school at age 14 and worked as a cowboy in Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona. Val Kilmer would have to get a note from his mother to ride the range. COCOON and The Thing actor Wilford Brimley has died at the age of 85 in hospital, says his manager who praised his "tender heart". Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from movie stunt rider to an indelible character actor who brought gruff charm, and sometimes menace, to a … Anthony Wilford Brimley (27 september 1934-1 augustus 2020) was een Amerikaanse acteur en zanger. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.He dropped out of school at age 14. RIP, Wilford Brimley. [10], Brimley's close friend Robert Duvall (who also appeared in The Natural) was instrumental in securing for him the role of Harry in Tender Mercies (1983). Wilford Brimley, the musician. 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