Rip Torn | |
|---|---|
 Torn in 1994 | |
| Born | Elmore Rual Torn Jr. (1931-02-06)February 6, 1931 Temple, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | July 9, 2019(2019-07-09) (aged 88) Lakeville, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Burial place | Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956–2016 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6, includingAngelica Page |
| Relatives | Sissy Spacek (cousin) David Torn (cousin) |
Elmore Rual "Rip"Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor whose career spanned roughly 60 years. He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Marsh Turner inCross Creek (1983). Torn's portrayal ofArtie the producer onThe Larry Sanders Show (1993–1998) received sixEmmy Award nominations, winning in 1996. Torn is also known for his roles asJudas Iscariot inKing of Kings (1961), Thomas J. Finley, Jr. inSweet Bird of Youth (1962), Dr. Nathan Bryce inThe Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Bob Diamond inDefending Your Life (1991),Zeus inHercules (1997), Zed in theMen in Black franchise (1997, 2002), Jim Brody inFreddy Got Fingered (2001), Patches O'Houlihan inDodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), andLouis XV inMarie Antoinette (2006).
Elmore Rual Torn Jr. was born on February 6, 1931, inTemple, Texas, the son of Elmore Rual “Tiger” Torn Sr., and Thelma Mary Torn (née Spacek).[1] The senior Elmore was anagriculturalist and economist who worked to promote the consumption ofblack-eyed peas, particularly as acustom on New Year's Day.[1][2] Thelma was an aunt of actressSissy Spacek. The family is of German, Austrian, and Czech/Moravian ancestry.[3] The nickname "Rip" is a family tradition among men in the Torn family, having been used by his father, uncle, and a cousin.[4][5] Torn graduated fromTaylor High School inTaylor, Texas, in 1948.[6]
Torn was a member of theTexas A&M University Corps of Cadets, although he graduated from theUniversity of Texas[7] where he studied acting under the Shakespeare professorB. Iden Payne,[8] and was a member of the Alpha Nu chapter of theSigma Chi fraternity. After graduation, he served in the Korean War with the 2nd Infantry Division with themilitary police in theUnited States Army.[9]
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After moving to Hollywood, Torn made his film debut in the 1956 filmBaby Doll. Torn then studied at theActors Studio in New York underLee Strasberg, becoming a prolific stage actor, appearing in the original cast ofTennessee Williams' playSweet Bird of Youth, and reprising the role in the film and television adaptations. Torn later helped his younger cousinSissy Spacek enroll in the Actors Studio.[10] He also appeared in the first production of his friendJames Baldwin'sBlues For Mister Charlie. Along with Baldwin and numerous mutual friends he was active in the Civil Rights movement from the '50s forward, as Baldwin's biographer David Leeming relates.
One of Torn's earliest roles was inPork Chop Hill, portraying thebrother-in-law ofGregory Peck's character. He also had an uncredited role inA Face in the Crowd as Barry Mills. In 1957, Torn portrayed Jody in an early episode ofThe Restless Gun. In 1957, he starred as incarcerated Steve Morgan in theAlfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Number Twenty-Two", and on the same series in 1961, he played a recently released prisoner, Ernie Walters, in theAlfred Hitchcock Presents episode "The Kiss-Off".[11] After portrayingJudas, betrayer of Jesus, in 1961 epic filmKing of Kings, Torn appeared in the February 7, 1962, episode of the acclaimed TV seriesThe Naked City, "A Case Study of Two Savages",[12] adapted from the real-life case of backwood killersCharles Starkweather (played by Torn) and Ora Mae Youngham, (played byTuesday Weld), Starkweather's young bride, who were on a homicidal spree starting inAppalacia and ending in New York City.[12] He played a graduate student with multiple degrees in 1963 television seriesChanning, and as Roy Kendall in theBreaking Point episode "Millions of Faces". More military roles followed, as a Marine drill instructor in an episode ofThe Lieutenant in 1963 and as a GI in an episode ofCombat! the next year. In 1964, Torn appeared as Eddie Sanderson in the episode "The Secret in the Stone" inThe Eleventh Hour and in the premiere ofThe Reporter. In 1965, in the filmThe Cincinnati Kid, he played Slade, a corrupt New Orleans millionaire, who pressuresSteve McQueen during a high-stakes poker game. On television that year, Torn portrayed Colonel Royce in the episode "The Lorelei" ofTwelve O'Clock High. Following these roles, he had turns as a character actor in numerous subsequent films. The part of George Hanson inEasy Rider was written for Torn byTerry Southern, but according to Southern's biographer Lee Hill, Torn withdrew from the project after co-directorDennis Hopper and he got into a bitter argument in a New York restaurant.Jack Nicholson played Hanson, instead, in a career-launching performance.
In 1972, Torn won rave reviews for his portrayal of acountry and western singer in thecult filmPayday. He co-starred with singerDavid Bowie in the 1976 science-fiction film,The Man Who Fell to Earth. He portrayed a Southern senator in 1979'sThe Seduction of Joe Tynan, oppositeAlan Alda andMeryl Streep, and a music producer inPaul Simon's 1980 filmOne-Trick Pony.
In 1982, Torn played a role as a black magic cult leader in the sword-and-sorcery movieThe Beastmaster. He also co-starred inJinxed!, a comedy withBette Midler, and appeared as an airline executive inAirplane II: The Sequel. He played a sheriff oppositeTreat Williams andKris Kristofferson in the 1984 thrillerFlashpoint. Torn received anAcademy Award nomination asBest Supporting Actor for his role in 1983'sCross Creek as a poor neighbor ofMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings in the orange groves of Florida. He was nominated for theCableACE Award for his portrayal of Big Daddy in the 1984Showtime production ofCat on a Hot Tin Roof. He co-starred withJohn Candy as a man who helps a tourist win a sailboat race in the 1985 comedySummer Rental. He had a brief role as Sheriff Hank Pearson inExtreme Prejudice.
In 1988, he ventured into directing withThe Telephone. The screenplay was written byTerry Southern andHarry Nilsson, and the film was produced by their company, Hawkeye. The story, which concerned an unhinged, out-of-work actor, had been written withRobin Williams in mind. After he turned it down,Whoopi Goldberg expressed a strong interest, but when production began, Torn reportedly had to contend with Goldberg constantly digressing and improvising, and he had to plead with her to perform takes that stuck to the script.
Goldberg was backed by the studio, which also allowed her to replace Torn's chosen DP, veteran cinematographerJohn A. Alonzo, with her husband. As a result of the power struggle, Torn, Southern, and Nilsson cut their own version of the film, using the takes that adhered to the script and this was screened at theSundance Film Festival, but the studio put together a rival version using other takes and it was poorly reviewed when it premiered in January 1988.[13]
In 1990, he portrayed Colonel Fargo inBy Dawn's Early Light, a film fromHBO about a fictional world war. In 1991, he portrayedAlbert Brooks' character's celestial defense attorney inDefending Your Life. He played a jeweler who murders his own nephew in order to steal a winning lottery ticket in an episode ofColumbo that year on TV, "Death Hits the Jackpot". In 1993, Torn portrayed theOCP CEO inRoboCop 3 and starred oppositeTantoo Cardinal inWhere the Rivers Flow North.[14][15] This is the same year that Torn played the owner of a fictional battery company in a series ofEnergizer commercials in which the owner of a rival battery company hires various fictional villains to assault theEnergizer Bunny and eliminate the competition. He was a naval officer presiding over a wargame in theKelsey Grammer submarine comedyDown Periscope in 1996.
In 1997, Torn appeared in the Disney filmHercules, in which he voiced the godZeus. Torn played MIB agency boss Zed in the 1997 hit filmMen in Black, starringWill Smith andTommy Lee Jones, a role he reprised in the 2002 sequelMen in Black II. In 2001, Torn portrayed James "Jim" Brody in the comedy filmFreddy Got Fingered. In 2004, he played the iconic wrench-tossing coachPatches O'Houlihan inDodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.
Torn appeared in tenBroadway plays and directed one. In 1959, he made his feature Broadway debut when he played Tom Junior inSweet Bird of Youth, for which he won aTheatre World Award and also received aTony Award nomination.
He returned next in 1962 in the playDaughter of Silence as Carlo, following that with a role in the 1963 production ofStrange Interlude. In 1964, he played Lyle Britten inBlues for Mister Charlie, and four years later, he was Roberto inThe Cuban Thing for its only performance on September 24, 1968.
In 1971, he portrayed Edgar inDance of Death, and directed his first Broadway play in 1973:Look Away. In 1975, he portrayed the Son in the Broadway revival ofThe Glass Menagerie and 5 years later, portrayed Don inMixed Couples. For 13 years, Torn was absent from Broadway, but returned in 1993 to portray Chris Christopherson inAnna Christie. In his last Broadway appearance in 1997, Torn portrayed Will Kidder inThe Young Man from Atlanta.
Torn made his featureoff-Broadway acting debut as Eben Cabot in the playDesire Under the Elms, followed by Peter inThe Kitchen at the 81st Street Theatre. His third off-Broadway role was Marion-Faye-A-Pimp inThe Deer Park, for which he won the 1967Obie Award for Distinguished Performance. He performed at theLucille Lortel Theatre in the playDream of a Blacklisted Actor, and later at theJoseph Papp Public Theater's Anspacher Theater as William McLeod inBarbary Shore. He last acted off-Broadway atthe American Place Theatre as Henry Hackamore inSam Shepard's 1979 playSeduced: a Play in Two Acts.
Torn's off-Broadway debut as director was for the Evergreen Theater with the playThe Beard; he won the 1968 Obie for Distinguished Direction for that work. He next directedThe Honest-to-God Schnozzia at the Gramercy Arts Theater, followed byAugust Strindberg'sCreditors andThe Stronger—in which he acted beside his wife at the time,Geraldine Page for the Joseph Papp Public Theater. Torn and Page also co-produced that production, and had previously presented the two plays along withMiss Julie at the off-off-BroadwayHudson Guild Theatre the year before.
From 1992 to 1998, Torn portrayed Artie inThe Larry Sanders Show. For his work, Torn received six consecutiveEmmy Award nominations asBest Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and won the award once (1996). Torn was the only actor in the series who won an Emmy Award for his work. Other than the Emmy nominations and win, he received twoAmerican Comedy Awards nominations for Funniest Male Performance in a Series, winning once, and twoCableACE Awards for his work on the series.
FollowingThe Larry Sanders Show, Torn appeared in many comedic roles in films. He was also known for his voice work and did voice-overs for many animated films.
In 2007 and 2008, he made five guest appearances on30 Rock as the fictional chief executive officer ofGeneral Electric, Don Geiss. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, but lost toTim Conway, who guest-starred in the same sitcom. Torn's character was reportedly killed off as a direct result of his 2010 arrest,[16] thoughTina Fey denied this in a DVD commentary. Torn voiced the character ofHephaestus in the 2010 video gameGod of War III.
Torn also appears in the music video for theThey Might Be Giants song "Can't Keep Johnny Down", from their 2011 albumJoin Us.
In 2015, he reprised his role as Zed in aMen in Black safety video forAir New Zealand with rugby playerIsrael Dagg and singerStan Walker.[17]
Torn was married three times, and had six children and four grandchildren.[18]
His first marriage to actressAnn Wedgeworth lasted from 1956 to 1961. They had a daughter, Danae Torn.[18]
In 1963, Torn married Geraldine Page, and they remained married until her death in 1987. They had a daughter, actressAngelica Page, and twin sons: actor Tony Torn, and Jon Torn (an associate professor[19] of electronic media and film atNorthern Arizona University[20]). Torn apparently delighted in the fact that the doorbell of their New York townhouse read Torn Page.[21]
Torn married actressAmy Wright in 1989. They had two children.[citation needed]
On January 29, 2010, Torn was arrested after breaking into a Litchfield Bancorp branch office inLakeville, Connecticut. He was charged with carrying a firearm without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, first-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespassing, and third-degree criminal mischief. TheConnecticut State Police said Torn, who lived in Lakeville, broke into the bank thinking it was his home.[22] In court, his lawyer told the judge his client needed help with alcohol abuse and that he could start treatment immediately in New York. Torn was released on $100,000 bail.[23]
As a condition of his release, Torn had to be evaluated for substance abuse. On August 11, 2010, Torn was denied special probation, which would have allowed his name to be cleared of charges. The judge in the case cited Torn's history of alcohol abuse and the possession of a loaded weapon while intoxicated, which carries a minimum one-year sentence.[24] On December 14, 2010, Torn pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, criminal trespass, criminal mischief, and possession of a firearm, and was given a two-and-a-half-year suspended jail sentence, and three years' probation.[25][26]
Appearing as an interview subject inStuds Terkel's 1974 oral-history bookWorking, Torn confessed, "I have certain flaws in my make-up. Something calledirascibility. I get angry easily. I get saddened by things easily."[27]
While filmingMaidstone (1968), Torn struck director and starNorman Mailer in the head with a hammer.[28][29] With the camera rolling, Mailer bit Torn's ear and they wrestled to the ground. The fight continued until it was broken up by cast and crew members.[28] The fight is featured in the film. Although the scene may have been planned by Torn, the blood shed by both actors was real,[28] and Torn was reportedly outraged by Mailer's direction.[29]
In 1994, he filed adefamation lawsuit againstDennis Hopper over a story Hopper told onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[30] Hopper claimed that Torn pulled aknife on him during pre-production of the filmEasy Rider (1969). According to Hopper, Torn was originally cast in the film, but was replaced with Jack Nicholson after the incident. Torn claimed in his lawsuit that Hopper pulled the knife on him. A trial court judge ruled in Torn's favor and Hopper was ordered to pay $475,000 in compensatory damages, but he denied Torn's request forpunitive damages, ruling Hopper had not acted with malice. Hopper appealed. On April 1, 1998, a California appellate court upheld the ruling for compensatory damages, and reversed the ruling for the punitive damages, requiring Hopper to pay another $475,000.[31]
Torn died on July 9, 2019, at his home inLakeville, Connecticut, at the age of 88 due to complications fromAlzheimer's disease. He is buried at thePoughkeepsie Rural Cemetery inPoughkeepsie, New York.[32][33][34]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Baby Doll | The Dentist | Uncredited |
| 1957 | A Face in the Crowd | Barry Mills | Uncredited |
| Time Limit | Lieutenant George Miller | ||
| 1959 | Pork Chop Hill | LieutenantWalter B. Russell | |
| 1961 | King of Kings | Judas Iscariot | |
| 1962 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Thomas J. Finley, Jr. | |
| Hero's Island | Nicholas Gates | ||
| 1963 | Critic's Choice | Dion Kapakos | |
| 1965 | The Cincinnati Kid | Slade | |
| 1966 | You're a Big Boy Now | I.H. Chanticleer | |
| 1967 | Beach Red | Sergeant Honeywell | |
| 1968 | Sol Madrid | Dano Villanova | |
| Beyond the Law | Popcorn | ||
| 1969 | Lions Love | THE BEARD Director | Uncredited |
| Coming Apart | Joe | ||
| Tropic of Cancer | Henry Miller | ||
| 1970 | Maidstone | Raoul Rey O'Houlihan | |
| 1972 | Slaughter | Dominic Hoffo | |
| Payday | Maury Dann | ||
| 1973 | The President's Plane Is Missing | George Oldenburg | TV movie |
| Cotter | Roy | ||
| 1974 | Crazy Joe | Richie | |
| 1976 | The Man Who Fell to Earth | Dr. Nathan Bryce | |
| Birch Interval | Thomas | ||
| 1977 | Nasty Habits | Father Maximilian | |
| The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover | Dwight Webb | ||
| 1978 | Coma | Dr. George | |
| 1979 | The Seduction of Joe Tynan | Senator Kittner | |
| Heartland | Clyde Stewart | ||
| 1980 | One Trick Pony | Walter Fox | |
| First Family | General G. E. Dumpston | ||
| 1982 | A Stranger Is Watching | Artie Taggart | |
| The Beastmaster | Maax | ||
| Jinxed! | Harold Benson | ||
| Airplane II: The Sequel | Bud Kruger | ||
| 1983 | Cross Creek | Marsh Turner | Nominated –Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1984 | Misunderstood | Will | |
| Flashpoint | Sheriff Wells | ||
| Songwriter | Dino McLeish | ||
| City Heat | Primo Pitt | ||
| 1985 | Summer Rental | Scully | |
| Beer | Buzz Beckerman | ||
| 1987 | Extreme Prejudice | Sheriff Hank Pearson | |
| Nadine | Bufford Pope | ||
| 1988 | Blind Curve | Maheu | |
| 1989 | Hit List | Vic Luca | |
| Cold Feet | Sheriff | ||
| Zwei Frauen | Dr. Steve Markowitz | ||
| 1990 | Beautiful Dreamers | Walt Whitman | |
| By Dawn's Early Light | Colonel Fargo | TV movie | |
| 1991 | Defending Your Life | Bob Diamond | |
| Columbo - Death Hits the Jackpot | Leon Lamarr | TV movie | |
| 1992 | Dolly Dearest | Karl Resnick | |
| Beyond the Law | Deputy Butch Prescott | ||
| 1993 | RoboCop 3 | OCP CEO | |
| Where the Rivers Flow North | Noel Lord | ||
| 1995 | For Better or Worse | Captain Cole | |
| Canadian Bacon | General Dick Panzer | ||
| How to Make an American Quilt | Arthur | ||
| 1996 | Down Periscope | Vice Admiral Dean Winslow | |
| The Mouse | Trucker 'God' | ||
| 1997 | Trial and Error | Benny Gibbs | |
| Hercules | Zeus | Voice[35] | |
| Men in Black | Zed | Nominated –Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | |
| 1998 | Senseless | Randall Tyson | |
| 1999 | The Insider | John Scanlon | |
| 2000 | Wonder Boys | Quentin "Q" Morewood | |
| 2001 | Freddy Got Fingered | Jim Brody | Nominated –Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor |
| 2002 | Men in Black II | Zed | |
| 2003 | Rolling Kansas | Oldman | |
| Love Object | Novak | ||
| Maniac Magee | George McNab | TV movie | |
| 2004 | Welcome to Mooseport | Bert Langdon | |
| DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story | Patches O'Houlihan | ||
| Eulogy | Edmund Collins | ||
| 2005 | Forty Shades of Blue | Alan James | |
| The Sisters | Dr. Chebrin | ||
| Yours, Mine & Ours | Commandant Sherman | ||
| 2006 | Marie Antoinette | Louis XV | |
| Zoom | Larraby | ||
| 2007 | Turn the River | Teddy Quinette | |
| Bee Movie | Lou Lo Duca | Voice[35] | |
| Three Days to Vegas | Joe Wallace | ||
| 2008 | August | David Sterling | |
| Lucky Days | Bobo | ||
| The Golden Boys | Captain Jeremiah "Jerry" Burgess | ||
| 2009 | Happy Tears | Joe | |
| American Cowslip | Trevor O'Hart | ||
| The Afterlight | Carl | ||
| 2011 | The Legend of Awesomest Maximus | King Looney | |
| 3 Weeks to Daytona | Sal | ||
| 2012 | Bridge of Names | Tom |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Steve Morgan #22 | Episode: "Number Twenty-Two"[36] |
| 1957 | The Restless Gun | Jody | Episode: "Jody" |
| 1960 | Thriller | Duncan Corey | Episode: "The Purple Room" |
| 1961 | The Untouchables | Pittsburgh Phil | Episode: "The Masterpiece" |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Ernie Walters | Episode: "The Kiss-Off"[37] | |
| 1962 | Naked City | Ansel Boake | Episode: "A Case of Two Savages"[12] |
| Dr. Kildare | Dr. Nicholas Keefe | Episode: "The Chemistry of Anger" | |
| 1963 | The Lieutenant | Gunnery Sergeant Karl Kasten | Episode: "The Proud and the Angry" |
| The Untouchables | Johnny Mizo | Episode: "The Spoiler" | |
| 1964 | Combat! | Sergeant Avery | Episode: "A Gift of Hope" |
| Dr. Kildare | John Burroughs | Episode: "An Exchange of Gifts" | |
| 1965 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Mr. Alexander | 2 episodes |
| Rawhide | Chiricahua Chief Jacob Yellow-Sun | Episode: "Escort to Doom" | |
| 12 O'Clock High | Colonel Royce | Episode: "The Lorelei" | |
| 1971 | Bonanza | Will Hewitt | Episode: "Blind Hunch" |
| 1972 | Mannix | Victor Roarke | Episode: "The Open Web" |
| 1978 | Steel Cowboy | K.W. Hicks | Television film |
| The Eddie Capra Mysteries | Andy Kilraine | Episode: "The Intimate Friends of Janet Wilde" | |
| Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case | Charles Burt | Television film | |
| 1979 | Blind Ambition | Richard Nixon | 4 episodes |
| 1980 | Sophia Loren: Her Own Story | Carlo Ponti | Television film |
| 1982 | The Blue and the Gray | GeneralUlysses S. Grant | 3 episodes |
| 1984 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Daddy | Showtime production Nominated forCableACE Award for Actor in a Theatrical or Dramatic Special |
| 1985 | The Atlanta Child Murders | Lewis Slaton | 2 episodes |
| 1986 | Dream West | Kit Carson | 2 episodes |
| 1987 | Laguna Heat | Joe Datilla | Television film |
| 1988 | April Morning | Solomon Chandler | Television film |
| 1989 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Boss Finley | Television film |
| 1991 | Columbo | Leon Lamarr | Episode: "Death Hits the Jackpot" |
| Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind | Captain Jack Parsons | Television film | |
| 1992 | Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster | Admiral Paul Yost | Television film |
| 1992–1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Artie | 89 episodes |
| 1994 | Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III | Adolphus | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Letter to My Killer | Russel Vanik | Television film |
| 1997–1998 | Ghost Stories | Narrator | 44 episodes |
| 1999 | Passing Glory | Father Robert Grant | Television film |
| Balloon Farm | Harvey H. Potter | Television film | |
| 2002 | Maniac Magee | George McNab | Television film |
| Will & Grace | Lionel Banks | 4 episodes | |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jules Copeland | Episode: "Bedfellows" |
| 2007–2008 | 30 Rock | Don Geiss | 7 episodes |
| 2016 | TripTank | M | Voice,[35] Episode: "#InsideRoy" |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Hercules | Zeus | [35] | |
| 1998 | Disney's Animated Storybook: Hercules | [35] | ||
| 2010 | God of War III | Hephaestus | [35] | |
| 2020 | Shadow Stalkers | The Producer | Posthumous release; Final acting role | [citation needed] |
