Charles Napier Passes Away At 75

Actor Charles Napier, one of the most recognizable actors in movie and TV, has passed away at the age of 75. He died Wednesday at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, his longtime friend Dennis Wilson told the Bakersfield Californian. The cause of death was not given.

Napier appeared in scores of films and TV shows in a career spanning more than 40 years. The actor, whose earliest roles included a memorable turn as a hippie wanderer searching for paradise in a classic 1960s “Star Trek” episode and went on to create memorable roles in films including “The Blues Brothers, “Rambi: First Blood Part II” and “Austin Powers: International man of Mystery” and continued to work until shortly before his death.

In recent years he was a sheriff in an episode of “Monk,” a father on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a security guard on the children’s show “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide.” His voice was also heard on several episodes of “The Simpsons” as well as the voice of Duke Phillips on “The Critic”. He had a voice role in the animated series “Archer” earlier this year.

His favorite role was as the judge in “Philadelphia,” the 1993 film that won Tom Hanks a best actor Oscar as an attorney stricken with HIV.