‘Halloween’ Star And Iconic Character Actor Charles Cyphers Dead At 85
Many legendary actors and performers have passed on this year, and unfortunately, another can be added to the list. Charles Cyphers, who had a role to play in one of the horror genre’s longest-running franchises has died. He was 85.
The actor’s manager Chris Roe verified his passing to Entertainment Weekly, stating Cyphers “Cyphers passed away comfortably” in Tucson, Arizona, and that the family is requesting privacy.
Cyphers is most renowned for playing Haddonfield Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the original Halloween from 1978 and two sequels. The first installment marked his second collaboration with director John Carpenter.
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The pair’s working relationship started with Assault On Precinct 13 in 1976 and continued into the 80s for cult classics such as The Fog, wherein Cyphers played a character named after Alien writer Dan O’Bannon.
Carpenter paid tribute to his friend and colleague on X, formerly Twitter. “Charles Cyphers has passed away. He was an early and frequent collaborator with me on my early movies. A kind man, he was a friend. I shall miss him,” he wrote.
Before he made his name in horror, Cyphers began his career with small roles in blaxploitation films and on TV with appearances on Charlie’s Angels, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, and Wonder Woman. He continued getting recurring and guest spots on popular series through the 90s.
His earliest small-screen success came in ‘77 with the recurring role of stunt double Hugo Muncy on The Betty White Show. Two decades later, he played the noteworthy part of a cranky woodshop teacher on the fledgling WB Network sitcom Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher.
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Cyphers spent decades working alongside a variety of stars, from Jamie Lee Curtis to Clint Eastwood and Chuck Norris, but he entered retirement in 2007 and stayed away from Hollywood until Blumhouse brought The Shape back for one more scare. Thus, he reprised Brackett in his final film, Halloween Kills.
“Charles was an incredibly lovable and sensitive man. He always had the best stories, and you got a full performance while he told you. He was a close friend and client for over 20 years who will be dearly missed,” Roe said.
Tributes have been pouring in all over social media and Roe promises “a celebration of life ceremony will happen at a date and location to be determined.”
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