Elizabeth Dennehy has announced that her celebrated actor father, Brian, has passed away from natural causes. He was 81.
Most recently to be seen appearing alongside James Spader in American series The Blacklist, his acting CV stretches back to the 1970s when he bit-parted in the likes of Kojak, Lou Grant, Dallas and Dynasty.
His film career exploded in 1982 when played sheriff Will Teasle in First Blood, which kicked off the box-office-busting Rambo franchise. The roles came thick and fast after that with Cocoon, Silverado, Romeo + Juliet, Assault On Precinct 13, 30 Rock, Rizzoli & Isles and The Good Wife all benefitting from his talents.
With his broad shoulders and dazzling megawatt smile, he was an instantly recognisable figure both on and off screen. Dennehy kept on working with two new movies, Son Of The South, the tale of a civil rights campaigner who came from a Ku Klux Klan background, and Long Day Journey, which finds him starring alongside Danny Glover, currently in post-production.
A multiple Emmy award-winner who also picked up a Tony and a Golden Globe, he played the lead role in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh at the Dublin Abbey in 1992, and returned in December 2010 to play the Bull McCabe in John B. Keane's The Field at the Olympia. He made the part of Biff Lowman in Death Of A Salesman his own and turned down many a lucrative film offer to tread the boards.
That he was both a consummate pro and a nice guy is evidenced by Mia Farrow messaging: "There is no one I enjoyed working with more."
Another of his fellow actors, Donal Logue, tweets: "Brian Dennehy had a place in Kenmare, County Kerry. He slid in like a local. He was an actor's actor. He was the kind of man who slid in like a local everywhere he went to film, perform, entertain, and mingle with humanity. RIP Irish."

It is with heavy hearts we announce that our father, Brian passed away last night from natural causes, not Covid-related. Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather, he will be missed by his wife Jennifer, family and many friends. pic.twitter.com/ILyrGpLnc3

— Elizabeth Dennehy (@dennehyeliza) April 16, 2020

Just devastated to learn that the magnificent Brian Dennehy has died. They is no one i enjoyed working with more. And there are few friends as valued in my life. I took this photo backstage when we were in Love Letters. He loved my pup Bowie. pic.twitter.com/s55Cc37lFy

— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) April 16, 2020

I played Biff Loman opposite Brian Dennehy in Death of a Salesman for 6 months. He was amazing. Gentle, vulnerable, irascible, charming, bad tempered, moaned like fuck, wonderful story teller, generous to a fault and laugh out loud guffaw funny.

— Douglas Henshall (@djhenshall) April 16, 2020