Halloween franchise actor Beau Starr has died, aged 81.
News was confirmed to TMZ by Starr’s brother, Mike, who told the publication that he died late last month on Friday, April 24, in Vancouver, Canada, due to natural causes. Mike described his brother as “very unique and special”.
Before entering the entertainment industry, Starr was a professional football player for the New York Jets, the Montreal Alouettes, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 1980, he starred in a play at the American Theater of Actors, and earned his first television credit in 1979 on Bizarre.
From there, Starr pursued work in both TV and film, appearing in a 1983 episode of Three’s Company, the Steve Martin-starring comedy The Lonely Guy, The A-Team, The Fall Guy, and Fletch.
Starr later joined the Halloween universe with 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, where he portrayed Sheriff Ben Meeker, a role he would once again reprise for the franchise’s fifth entry, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.
In 1990, he also acted in Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas, playing the father to Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill. Christopher Serrone, who portrayed the younger version of Henry in the Oscar-winning film, shared a moving tribute to Starr on Instagram yesterday (May 2)
“It is with a heavy heart I’m here to inform everyone of the very sad passing of Beau Starr. [Mike Starr] asked me to make the announcement,” he wrote. “Beau enjoyed a rich [and] meaningful life. He was a son, brother, father, grandfather, actor and NFL/CFL player. Please take a moment to help me remember a great guy. RIP.”
Fans have since flooded social media with heartfelt messages reflecting on their favourite roles of Starr’s, with many lovingly saying he was “the best sheriff Haddonfield ever had”.
Starr appeared in a plethora of other projects, including a starring turn in NBC’s crime drama series True Blue through its 12-episode run, with additional credits including 2000 Malibu Road, Bad Blood, Speed, NYPD Blue, Leap Years, Doc, Final Days on Planet Earth and Psych.
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