Wilford Brimley has died. The 85-year-old diabetic – who’d been on dialysis and suffering from other medical issues – passed away on Saturday morning in a hospital in St. George, Utah.
Brimley served as a blacksmith, a rodeo rider, a Hollywood extra, and a bodyguard for Howard Hughes before making it as an actor. He starred in a legion of films including “Cocoon,” “Absence of Malice,” and “The Firm.”
And many know him as a pitchman with a gravelly voice that made us want to buy insurance and eat Quaker Oatmeal. Ironically, he was never a fan of Hollywood. In fact, he once described it as, "Too many people, too congested and too fast."
But he was masterful as a bad guy in "The Firm" with Tom Cruise. He played the head of security at a Memphis Law Firm who tries to blackmail Tom Cruise's character.
In the end, though, Tom took out his frustrations on Wilford's character.
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