Wilford Brimley Dies: ‘Cocoon’, ‘The Natural’ Actor Was 85
Wilford Brimley Death at 85
Wilford Brimley the actor known for his work in Cocoon, The Natural and The Thing, has died. He was 85.
Brimley, whose additional credits include The Electric Horseman and The Hotel New Hampshire, died Saturday at an ICU in St. George, Utah, a rep for the actor confirmed to Deadline. The actor had been on dialysis and experienced other medical problems leading up to his passing, the rep added.
Born in 1934 in Salt Lake City, Brimley had a film and television career with scores of roles to his name. From his time in the film and television industry, mainly in the 1970s, Brimley has taken on a wide variety of roles including Grandpa Sam Ferrans in Summer of the Monkeys, Chief Hawkins in My Fellow Americans and governor in The Round and Round.
From 1986 to 1988, Brimley starred as Gus Witherspoon in the family drama Our House. He appeared on the show for 46 episodes. The actor worked alongside Deidre Hall, Shannen Doherty and Keri Houlihan, playing the family patriarch.
The actor’s last credit was as pastor in Juergen Peretzki and Stacey Peretzki 2017 film I Believe.
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In addition to staring in various films and television series, Brimley was also the face of Quaker Oats throughout the 1990s. The actor appeared in multiple commercials for the quick oats brand.
He is survived by his wife Beverly and three sons.
Wilford had a lengthy career on camera, dating back to the 1970s with over 70 acting credits. He’s perhaps most known for roles in cult classic films like “Cocoon,” “The Natural,” “The Thing,” “Hard Target,” and countless other memorable on-screen appearances, big and small.
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Brimley started out as mostly a TV actor, landing one-time roles on TV series like “How the West Was Won,” ‘Kung Fu,’ “The Oregon Trail,” and then eventually … a recurring part on “The Waltons.” He went on to star in a bunch of TV movies, such as “The Wild Wild West Revisited,” “Amber Waves,” “Roughnecks,” “Rodeo Girl,” ‘The Big Black Pill,’ and so on.
In the ’80s, he started breaking out into more traditional films, appearing in flicks like “High Road to China,” “10 to Midnight,” “Tough Enough,” “Jackals,” “End of the Line,” and a bunch of other B-movies where he’d often play an authority figure or a grandfatherly figure with his deep, comforting Southern accent. One of the best character actors without a doubt.
He went on to star in countless other movies and shows, notably on “Our House,” in which he starred in over 40 episodes, as well one-off appearances in hit series like “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Seinfeld,” and so many others.
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Folks might remember Wilford more for commercials though over the years — specifically, his campaigns with Quaker Oats through the ’80s and ’90s, and maybe even more memorable … his classic diabetes ads for Liberty Medical — which was often spoofed, but also beloved.
Wilford was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus in 1979, and managed the disease ever since then — obviously, he was very open about it. The American Diabetes Association honored him for his lifetime of advocacy in 2008.
A rep for Wilford tells TMZ, one of his favorite quotes was from a sign at a blacksmith’s shop. It read, “There is nothing made, sold, or done that can’t be made, sold, or done cheaper. If price is your only concern, please do business with my competitor.”
He’s survived by his wife, Beverly, and his three children.
Wilford was 85. RIP
