Matt Clark, a veteran character actor whose screen credits ranged from Western classics to "Back to the Future Part III," has died at age 89.
His death was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by his daughter, producer Amiee Clark, who said he died Sunday in Austin, Texas, after breaking his back several months earlier.
In a statement released to TMZ, his family described Clark as "an 'actor's actor' who loved and respected the job, but was not concerned with stars and fame."
"He was impressed when working with good people who loved their families. He felt 'lucky' about his career ... and 'he died the way he lived, on his terms,'" his family concluded.
Clark worked across genres and generations, appearing alongside leading actors in a wide range of films.
He appeared opposite Clint Eastwood in "The Outlaw Josey Wales," "The Beguiled," and "Honkytonk Man," and worked with Robert Redford in "Jeremiah Johnson" (1972) and "Brubaker" (1980).
In the latter, one of his best-known roles, he played Purcell, the former warden's clerk. His filmography also included "Back to the Future Part III" (1990).
A significant portion of his career was tied to Westerns, with credits including "The Cowboys," "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid," "Monte Walsh," "The Culpepper Cattle Co.," and "The Legend of the Lone Ranger."
Clark also worked behind the camera, directing the 1988 film "Da," which starred Bernard Hughes, Martin Sheen, and William Hickey. The project reflected his early theater connections; Clark had previously understudied for Sheen in the Broadway production of "The Subject Was Roses," and trained with Hickey in New York.
People who worked with him said he had a way of making even small roles stand out.
"Hacks" director Gary Rosen described Clark as "the kind of actor that defined Hollywood filmmaking in its greatest era," adding, "the utterly unique character player who made every scene he appeared in memorable, often stealing them from stars like Rod Steiger, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, and John Wayne."
Director Brian Helgeland, who worked with Clark on "42," recalled how, by the time he worked with Clark on the film, he had already been "in more than 120 different productions in a career that stretched back to the early 1960s."
"You'd think there would be a little bit of 'been there, done that' in him. But what did I get? I got an artist who not only keenly understood his role but understood the scene he was in and where it fell in the grand scheme of the film," he said.
Born Nov. 25, 1936, in Washington and raised in Arlington, Virginia, Clark served in the U.S. Army before pursuing acting. He studied at HB Studio, joined the Living Theatre, and built early stage experience in New York.
His television appearances included roles on "The Waltons," "Magnum, P.I.," "The Practice," and the miniseries "The Winds of War."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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