James Rebhorn 1948-2014

 

Actor James Rebhorn has passed away at the age of 65.

Born in Philadelphia, James Rebhorn started his screen-acting career appearing on the Soaps; with notable turns on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW and AS THE WORLD TURNS…with the latter role earning him an outstanding supporting actor nomination by Soap Opera Digest in 1992. When he turned to the big screen, his strong and disciplined demeanor earned him roles as lawyers, politicians, doctors, and military men; roles which he adapted to with ease and earned himself a reputation as a true character-actor.

He became a familiar face on the big-screen, and his list of credits reads like a playlist of favorites; MY COUSIN VINNY (1992), BASIC INSTINCT (1992), SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992), INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996), David Fincher’s THE GAME (1997), THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999), MEET THE PARENTS (2000), and COLD MOUNTAIN (2003). His movie career earned him an invitation to become a member of the Academy in 2007.

Despite a busy big-screen career, he still found time to dabble in TV. He had notable roles on the original LAW AND ORDER, SEINFELD, 30 ROCK, THIRD WATCH, FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, and HOMELAND.

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James Rebhorn’s characters are often erroneously referred to as bad-guys or villains. His skills leaned towards the disciplined type, but he always managed to make those characters human and believable, which made them more of an adversary than a bad guy. He had a knack for making the antagonist justified, and somewhat likeable. He seemed to appear everywhere; a familiar face that we all enjoyed seeing…and without it, a certain comfort will now be missing.