Thursday, October 6, 2011

Charles Napier (1936-2011)

Hollywood is mourning the passing of character actor Charles Napier at the age of 75.

Napier was a regular presence in movies and on television between the 60's and 90's. His television credits include a starring role in the short-lived Oregon Trail and a recurring role on B. J. & The Bear, in addition to guest roles on shows such as The Rockford Files, The Dukes of Hazzard, & The A-Team. According to his bio on Wikipedia, Napier succeeded the late Ted Cassidy in providing the growls for The Incredible Hulk (Did you really think Lou Ferrigno did his own growling?) after Cassidy had passed away during the series' run.

Napier's film credits include a memorable turn as country singer-truck driver Tucker McElroy in "The Blues Brothers", and later co-starred in "Rambo: First Blood, Part 2". Cartoon fans will remember him as General Hardcastle on Superman: The Animated Series and, later, Justice League. More recently, he had a role on [adult swim]'s Squidbillies until Cartoon Network replaced him with a soundalike actor. One of his earliest roles had him on the original Star Trek in the episode, "The Way to Eden".

Rest in peace, Charles.

2 comments:

magicdog said...

How sad!!

I remember him as the space hippie on Star Trek!

He's often considered a character actor, but he was such a familiar face to TV and moviegoers after all these years.

R.I.P. Mr. Napier and godspeed to Heaven. My condolences to his family.

hobbyfan said...

Indeed. Five years pass, and I find the comment. Really have to work on keeping track of these things....