James Rebhorn was one of those actors that you’ve seen on hundreds of television shows and in just as many films, because he was a hugely busy actor who could show up in a scene and instantly be memorable even if you didn’t always know his name.
Sadly, his name will now be better known with the news that the actor passed away at the age of 65 at his home in Los Angeles today after an ongoing battle with a melanoma since 1992.
Most recently, Rebhorn had recurring roles on Showtime’s hit drama “Homeland,” playing Frank Mathison, and on USA Channel’s “White Collar” as Reese Hughes, but television was only the tip of the iceberg for Rebhorn whose career really picked up in the ’80s with small roles in movies like Silkwood, Cat’s Eye, Regarding Henry, Woody Allen’s Shadow and Fog , Independence Day and who could forget his memorable breakfast moment with Ben Stiller as Dr. Larry Banks in Meet the Parents?
Like so many other character actors, Rebhorn’s work was underrated but there’s no denying that when you saw him in any role (such as playing Mike Birbiglia’s father in Sleepwalk with Me), it’s not something you would easily forget.
Character actors who normally play supporting roles or make brief appearances in movies as Rebhorn did are often what can make a good movie great and Rebhorn’s absence from future movies will surely be missed.
(Photo Credit: WENN.com)
