Hollywood star Carl W Crudup has died aged 79, his family have confirmed. The TV, film and Broadway actor died on January 10 of prostate cancer on his ranch in Littlerock, California, where his family said he "found peace and joy, and lived as both actor and farmer". They added in their statement: "The ranch was Carl’s sanctuary, a place of nature, animals and quiet reflection. His goats were treasured like children, and he embodied the heart of the original Dr. Dolittle, gentle, compassionate and endlessly patient."
Crudup was best known for J.D.’s Revenge, The Rockford Files, Better Things and A Man on the Inside during his five-decade career. Crudup's first film role was in Karel Reisz’s 1974 film The Gambler (1974), also starring James Caan, as a basketball player He made his Broadway debut in 1975 opposite Moses Gunn in an acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company production of The First Breeze of Summer. On TV, he starred in ER, Criminal Minds, Shameless, Agent Carter and The White Shadow, among other projects.
In more recent years, he also appeared in Empty Rooms (2012), Halfway to Hell (2013), The Remarkable Life of John Weld (2018) and Horror Noire (2021).
Rel Dowdell, Director of Film Studies at Hampton University, paid tribute to the actor, saying in a statement: "He exemplified a truly genuine persona to whatever size of the role he was asked to play.
"Like many unsung African American talents of that era, he used his formal training to always bring charisma and distinction to elevate and bring dignity to the collective work done on any screen."
Tributes have poured in from fans upon hearing the sad news, as one posted on X: "How awful, he will be greatly remembered by everyone for his scenes." Another added: "Rest in peace."
One of his former colleagues posted on Instagram: "Last week, Carl Crudup sadly passed away. He was a wonderful actor and a kind person. There was never a moment in the times we worked together (starting with my first student film) where he wasn’t enthusiastic and supportive of me and the projects we were making.
"He would tell a story at lunch, and the ten people sitting next to him wouldn’t say a word, enthralled by his experience and wisdom. Countless times, the crew would come up to me and tell me how much fun he was and how much they loved working with him. I never thought that when I called him to be in The Cycle, it would be his last role.
"I know how excited he was about his work in it, and I know how excited I was to work with him many more times. I heard him ask some of the cast on set if they were an “AFL” — “actor for life” — to which Carl absolutely was. He will be missed."
