RIP Ned Beatty: DELIVERANCE Actor Has Passed Away at 83
We received word this afternoon that American actor Ned Beatty has passed away at the age of 83. Once hailed by Daily Variety as the “busiest actor in Hollywood”, Beatty is perhaps best known to film fans for his portrayal of Bobby in 1972’s survival horror Deliverance (directed by John Boorman and co-starring Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight).
Other notable films on Beatty’s resume include Exorcist II: The Heretic, 1978’s Superman, 1980’s Superman II, Back to School, Midnight Crossing, and many more.
Blossom Beatty, his daughter, told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died today at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes.
About his breakout role in Deliverance, THR reports:
Beatty said he doubted he was going to get a part in the picture when he sat down with Boorman, his assistant and their wives for lunch in New York. A veteran of the local theater, he had never been in a feature film.
“There was a very attractive lady [the wife of Boorman’s assistant] sitting next to me to my left,” he recalled in a 1992 interview with the CBC, “and I spent the whole time giving her my best shot … I was terribly married [but still] terribly flirtatious.
“I was quite the heel, and I think that’s what John Boorman liked. He said he thought I was the rudest person he had ever met.”
In addition to his daughter Blossom, Beatty is survived by his fourth wife, Sandy, and children Doug, twins Charles and Lennis, Wally, Jon, Thomas and Dorothy.
All of us here at Dread Central send our sincerest condolences to Beatty’s fans, friends, and family. He was a truly special actor who will be genuinely missed.
Categorized:News
