David Huddleston, a prolific film and television character actor, has died at the age of 85, reports the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Over the course of his nearly 50-year-long career, the actor appeared in several TV shows and films, including Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Bewitched, and his most notable role as Lebowski in The Big Lebowski.
Huddleston got his start in the early 1960s with bit parts in TV series like Shotgun Slade and Harrigan and Son. Soon, he began appearing as memorable characters in episodes of Bewitched, The Waltons, and Gunsmoke. Between 1974 and 1976, he played Lt. John Ponce on the NBC legal drama Petrocelli.
Throughout the 1970s, he also appeared in popular films like Blazing Saddles and The Greatest. In 1979, he played the lead character, Mayor Cooper, in the NBC series Hizzonner.
Huddleston continued to appear in small roles on television, including the role of Grandpa Arnold on The Wonder Years. His last TV role was as Eugene Hamilton in a 2014 episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
From Huddleston, in 2014 interview with the Santa Fe New Mexican:
I’ve had a very, very, very good run at this stuff. I have been all over the world, made pictures in Mexico, Canada, Israel, France and England. I’ve met people who I never dreamt I would meet, all heroes of mine.”
What do you think? Are you fan of David Huddleston’s work? What’s your favorite role of his?