‘Homeland’ Actor James Rebhorn Dead at 65
The industry veteran, who passed away at home on Friday, played memorable supporting characters on film and TV.
James Rebhorn, the busy character actor who played the father ofClaire Danes‘ troubled CIA officer Carrie Mathison on the Showtime dramaHomeland, has died. He passed away on Friday, his agent Dianne Busch confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 65.
“He died from melanoma, which had been diagnosed in 1992,” Busch stated. “He fought it all this time. He died Friday afternoon at his home in New Jersey, where he had been receiving hospice care for a week and a half.”
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Rebhorn also had a recent recurring role on the USA Network hit White Collar as Special Agent Reese Hughes, head of the FBI’s Manhattan white-collar crime unit.
During his prolific five-decade career, the Philadelphia native also was memorable as the district attorney that sent Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer to jail on theSeinfeld finale in 1998 and as the prosecution’s FBI expert automotive witness in the hilarious film My Cousin Vinny (1992). He also had stints as attorneys on theDavid E. Kelley showsThe Practice andBoston Legal and recurring roles onThird Watch,The Book of Daniel,Law & Order andBig Lake.
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Rebhorn played the school’s headmaster Mr. Trask inScent of a Woman (1992) and was President Signoff inThe Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000).
His vast film résumé also includesSilkwood (1983),The House on Carroll Street(1988),Desperate Hours (1990),Regarding Henry (1991),Shadows and Fog (1991),Basic Instinct(1992),Lorenzo’s Oil(1992),Guarding Tess (1994),Independence Day(1996),The Game(1997),The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999),Snow Falling on Cedars (1999),Meet the Parents (2000),Far From Heaven (2002),Cold Mountain (2003),Real Steel(2011) andThe Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012).
STORY: Hollywood Mourns Notable Character Actor James Rebhorn
Rebhorn was a mainstay of the Roundabout Theatre Company and most recently starred as a father stricken with Alzheimer’s inToo Much, Too Much, Too Many, which opened in November at the Black Box Theatre in New York.
He appeared onstage in the original production of I’m Not Rappaportin 1985 and in the revivals ofOur Town,The Man Who Had All the Luck,Dinner at Eight,Twelve Angry Men andPrelude to a Kiss.
He also was seen on the TV shows Kate & Allie, The Equalizer, Wiseguy, Enlightened and 30 Rock.
“USA Network is deeply saddened about the passing of James Rebhorn, who so brilliantly played Reese Hughes onWhite Collar. Our sympathies go out to his family, friends and loved ones,” the TV network said in a statement.
Rebhorn is survived by his wife,Rebecca, and daughtersHanna andEmma.
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