BY LEE PFEIFFER
Actor Rip Torn has died at age 88. He was a volatile figure in the entertainment industry, known for his sometimes bizarre behavior as well as his brilliant performances. A native Texan, he gravitated to New York City in the 1950s where he studied under Lee Strasberg at the legendary Actors Studio. He was championed by director Elia Kazan, who gave Torn high profile roles in his stage and film productions. Torn gained major acclaim with a Tony-nominated performance on Broadway in "Sweet Bird of Youth", a role he would reprise in the 1963 film version. Torn's film career occasionally saw him attain leading man status but he remained a highly acclaimed supporting actor throughout his career. His feature films include "A Face in the Crowd", "Baby Doll", "The Cincinnati Kid", "Pork Chop Hill", "King of Kings", "Beach Red", "Coming Apart", "Tropic of Cancer", "Crazy Joe", "The Man Who Fell to Earth", "Coma" and the 1983 film "Cross Creek', for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. For the 1968 thriller "Sol Madrid", Torn was called upon at the last minute by MGM to play the villain opposite David McCallum after John Cassavettes, who had originally filmed the role became very ill the day before shooting the finale, thus causing all of his scenes to be reshot with Torn. Later in his career, he made a splash with his appearances as the quirky intelligence chief in the "Men in Black" films and won fine notices for Albert Brooks' comedy "Defending Your Life". In the 1990s, Torn's television career soared to new heights with his recurring role on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show", which would see him nominated for six Emmys. He would later earn more Emmy nominations for his role on the "30 Rock" sitcom. Roles earlier work in television included "Playhouse 90", "Ben Casey", "Combat!", "Dr. Kildare", "Rawhide", "Bonanza", "Mannix" and "Columbo". He had one of his most memorable roles in a 1965 two-part episode of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E" titled "The Alexander the Greater Affair" in which he played a villain who wants to attain power by systematically breaking each of the Ten Commandments in order.
(Above: Torn on the set of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." with Dorothy Provine and David McCallum.)
Despite his success in the entertainment business, Torn was a man who had many personal demons that affected his life and career. He was originally cast in the role that gained Jack Nicholson stardom in "Easy Rider" but he had a falling out with the film's star and director, Dennis Hopper, who stated publicly that Torn lost the role because he had pulled a knife on him over dinner, an accusation that Torn refuted and ultimately won a libel case over. However, he was known for erratic behavior and in a bizarre 2010 incident he was arrested after breaking into a bank. Nevertheless, Torn's legacy as one of the most reliable and interesting character actors of his generation remains intact.
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