RIP.
Typecast as The Old Guy at the grand old age of 50 in Cocoon, Brimley was one of those character actors who briefly seemed to be everywhere, though it’s really more that he happened to appear in just enough key places - Cocoon, Remo Williams, The Firm, The Natural, a Seinfeld episode, and some commercials that lodged deep in the brain - to seem like an institution.
To folks here, he’s almost surely best known for his role in Carpenter’s The Thing. Others may remember you as the “diabetes” guy, Wilfred, but here at Qt3 you’ll always be remembered in our hearts as an axe-wielding alien!
Sad to hear, godspeed Mr Brimley. I also eat my oatmeal at least once a week because of you.
The diabeetus finally got him :(
Amazing he was only 85 considering he’d been playing old dudes for 35 years.
I actually remember his post Cocoon show “Our House” as being not terrible. Also liked him in The Firm and other odds and ends. He had the moral authority to tell people that eating Quaker Oats was “the right thing to do” and not sound ridiculous.
RIP.
I grew up knowing him as the cantankerous castaway who had no use for children, yet couldn’t help but help a girl in need at a critical moment. Indeed, his ramshackle house turned out to be a crashed spaceship on the forest moon of Endor, in the TV movie Ewoks: Battle for Endor. By a grown-up’s standards, the project wasn’t exactly The Thing. But I liked the concept so much that, by the time they started making more Star Wars movies, I was rooting for Rey’s mysterious parentage resolve with good old Wilford Brimley as her dad.
Aw, man. :(
RIP sir. I shall grow my mustache longer in your honour and wear it walrus style from time to time.
Wow, that’s insane that he was that young in Cocoon! He played a very convincing retiree!
These three actors were all 50 in these movies.
Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher (2012)
Paul Rudd in Avengers: Endgame
Wilford Brimley in Cocoon
I loved that movie growing up. Really disappointed that it isn’t on Disney+ when I went to check tonight…
I believe i’ll have some for breakfast. RIP
Ah man, that sucks. Only 85?
Rest in Peace.
I enjoyed his appearance on Craig Ferguson’s show I saw posted on Reddit.
He was 50 when Cocoon was released, but he was actually 49 when they filmed it! He had to dye his hair and mustache.
I just wish his line from cocoon had played out. It’s the one I remember the most from him
'Won’t ever grow old and won’t ever die. "in his rather unique old man rumble voice.
Rest in Peace.
These extracts from The Thing commentary are brilliant:
This was my first thought as well.
I liked his work. RIP.