This Day in Horror History: Happy Birthday Tom Noonan
Tom Noonan played Frankenstein’s Monster in Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad (released in 1987) and has since become a minor icon. He also appeared as Mr. Ulman in Ti West’s The House of the Devil, delivering a subdued yet unnerving performance. Other notable flicks in his filmography include Manhunter, The Alphabet Killer, RoboCop 2, The Astronaut’s Wife, Eight Legged Freaks, and Late Phases.
Trivia:
He and his fellow Heat (1995) cast member, Ted Levine, have both played villains caught with the help of Hannibal Lecter. Noonan played Francis “Tooth Fairy” Dolarhyde in Manhunter (1986), and Levine played Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). (Source)
Personal Quote:
[On Michael Mann directing Manhunter (1986)] “Michael and I became very close during the shoot, but we almost never spoke to each other. He just sort of loved me, that’s how I felt as a person. He used to send me Christmas cards – very fancy, with pieces of wax paper – but he stopped doing that. One time he was shooting, and I said something to him; it was not disagreeing, but I wasn’t level. He took me outside and said, “You can say anything to me you want, but don’t ever say anything in front of the crew.” Other than that, he never talked to me. He would yell at people a lot. He would make Joan Allen cry sometimes. I thought she was really good. Sometimes she’d do a take, and he would say things “What the fuck? You think anybody’s gonna believe that shit?” Maybe I’m exaggerating, it’s been a while. There were probably 60 or 70 people on the crew, and there was turnover of like 80 jobs on the movie. The first scene I ever had was when I’m stting in this van and Joan is on the front steps. There was a little tiny imperfection in the van that wasn’t even in the shot, you’d never have seen this in a million years. He complained to the producers. He was really upset, and the guy disagreed with him a little, and said “Michael, just calm down, they’re gonna fix it.” He said, “No, I’m telling you what’s going to happen. When I turn around, they are not gonna be there. I’m never going to see anyone again in the art department.” And the guy said, “OK, Michael,” and all these people just left.”[2015] (Source)
Tom Noonan was born on this day in 1951 and, today, all of us here at Dread Central wish him a very Happy Birthday!
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
