Ed Lauter 1938-2013

 

Character actor Ed Lauter has passed away at the age of 74.

A character actor is commonly defined as an actor whose distinctive voice and appearance limit their roles. Such a label does not have to be negative, because Ed Lauter made a career out of it which spanned over four decades.

Ed Lauter was an actor who could convey authority with just one stern look; from a ship captain to a hockey coach to a brutal prison guard, Lauter’s characters were not the type you wanted to mess with. His long list of film credits include THE LONGEST YARD (1974), KING KONG (1976), HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1978), CUJO (1983), YOUNGBLOOD (1986), BORN OF THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989), THE ROCKETEER (1991), LEAVING LAS VEGAS (1995), SEABISCUIT (2003), and THE ARTIST (2011). He had the honor of starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s final film (FAMILY PLOT, 1976), and he also found success on the small-screen.

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The first time Ed Lauter left a powerful impression on this Blogger was in 1986, when he starred as a tough hockey coach in YOUNGBLOOD. When the lead character fell for the coach’s daughter, you knew that things were going to get nuts because Lauter was not only a hardass hockey coach who would hit you with a stick, but he was also a stone-fisted father who would pound you into the ground. Ed Lauter spent a career and a lifetime playing characters who demanded respect, and we will always be willing to give it to him.