Rip Torn
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+ | "''[[Maidstone (film)|Maidstone]]'' (1970) is now famous for the [[improvised]] [[fight]] between [[Norman Mailer]] and [[Rip Torn]]. As the camera rolled, Torn struck Mailer in the head with a [[hammer]], intending to "kill his character". Mailer's scalp opened up, and a vicious fight ensued." --Sholem Stein | ||
+ | |} | ||
{{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
'''Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr.''' (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an [[American actor]], voice artist, and comedian. | '''Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr.''' (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an [[American actor]], voice artist, and comedian. | ||
- | To an international audience he is fondly remembered for his roles in ''[[Coming Apart (film)|Coming Apart]]'', ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'' and ''[[Henry & June]]''. | + | To an international audience he is remembered for his roles in ''[[Coming Apart (film)|Coming Apart]]'' (1969), ''[[Maidstone (film)|Maidstone]]'' (1970), ''[[Tropic of Cancer (film)|Tropic of Cancer]]'' (1970) and ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'' (1974). |
+ | |||
+ | The book ''[[Cult Movie Stars]]'' describes his [[integrity]] and says that he "took parts only in films that he considered artistic and/or [[politically correct]]." | ||
+ | |||
+ | He was also known for his on-set conflicts. While filming ''[[Maidstone (film)|Maidstone]]'', Torn struck director and star [[Norman Mailer]] in the head with a hammer. With the camera rolling, Mailer bit Torn's ear and they wrestled to the ground. The fight continued until it was broken up by cast and crew members. The fight is featured in the film. | ||
+ | == Film and television == | ||
+ | After moving to [[Hollywood]], Torn made his film debut in the 1956 film ''[[Baby Doll]]''. Torn then studied at the [[Actors Studio]] in New York under [[Lee Strasberg]], becoming a prolific stage actor, appearing in the original cast of [[Tennessee Williams]]' play ''[[Sweet Bird of Youth]]'', and reprising the role in the film and television adaptations. While in New York, Torn introduced his cousin [[Sissy Spacek]] to the entertainment business, and helped her enroll in the Actors Studio. | ||
+ | |||
+ | One of Torn's earliest roles was in ''[[Pork Chop Hill]]'', portraying the [[Sibling-in-law|brother-in-law]] of [[Gregory Peck]]'s character. He also had an uncredited role in ''[[A Face in the Crowd (film)|A Face in the Crowd]]'' as Barry Mills. In 1957, Torn portrayed Jody in an early episode of ''[[The Restless Gun]]''. In 1957, he starred as incarcerated Steve Morgan in the ''[[List of Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes|Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' episode "Number Twenty-Two," and on the same series in 1961 he played a recently released prisoner, Ernie Walters, in the ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' episode "The Kiss-Off." | ||
+ | |||
+ | After portraying [[Judas]], betrayer of [[Jesus]], in 1961's epic film ''[[King of Kings (1961 film)|King of Kings]]'', Torn appeared as a graduate student with multiple degrees in 1963's television series ''[[Channing (TV series)|Channing]]'', and as Roy Kendall in the ''[[Breaking Point (1963 TV series)|Breaking Point]]'' episode "Millions of Faces." In 1964, Torn appeared as Eddie Sanderson in the episode "The Secret in the Stone" in ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]'' and in the premiere of ''[[The Reporter (TV series)|The Reporter]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1965, in the film ''[[The Cincinnati Kid]]'', he played Slade, a corrupt New Orleans millionaire who pressures [[Steve McQueen]] during a high-stakes poker game. On television that year, Torn portrayed Colonel Royce in the episode "The Lorelei" of ''[[Twelve O'Clock High (TV series)|Twelve O'Clock High]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Following the aforementioned roles, he had turns as a character actor in numerous subsequent films (see below filmography). | ||
+ | |||
+ | The part of George Hanson in ''[[Easy Rider]]'' was written for Torn by [[Terry Southern]], but according to Southern's biographer Lee Hill, Torn withdrew from the project after he and co-director [[Dennis Hopper]] got into a bitter argument in a New York restaurant (see on-set conflicts section below). [[Jack Nicholson]] played Hanson instead in a career-launching performance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1972, Torn won rave reviews for his portrayal of a [[Country music|country and western]] singer in the [[cult film]] ''[[Payday (1972 film)|Payday]]''. He co-starred with singer [[David Bowie]] in the 1976 science-fiction film, ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Torn received an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination as [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] for his role in 1983's ''[[Cross Creek (film)|Cross Creek]]'' as a poor neighbor of [[Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings]] in the orange groves of Florida. He portrayed a Southern senator in 1979's ''[[The Seduction of Joe Tynan]]'', opposite [[Alan Alda]] and [[Meryl Streep]], and a music producer in [[Paul Simon]]'s 1980 film ''[[One-Trick Pony (film)|One Trick Pony]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1982, Torn played a role as a holy man in the sword-and-sorcery movie ''[[The Beastmaster]]''. He also co-starred in ''[[Jinxed! (1982 film)|Jinxed!]]'', a comedy with [[Bette Midler]], and appeared as an airline executive in ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]''. He played a Sheriff, opposite [[Treat Williams]] and [[Kris Kristofferson]], in the 1984 thriller [[Flashpoint (1984 film)|Flashpoint]]. Torn was nominated for the [[CableACE Award]] for his portrayal of Big Daddy in the 1984 [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] production of ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1984 film)|Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]''. He co-starred with [[John Candy]] as a man who helps a tourist win a sailboat race in the 1985 comedy ''[[Summer Rental]]''. He had a brief role as Sheriff Hank Pearson in ''[[Extreme Prejudice (film)|Extreme Prejudice]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1988, he ventured into directing with ''[[The Telephone (1988 film)|The Telephone]]''. The screenplay was written by [[Terry Southern]] and [[Harry Nilsson]] and the film was produced by their company, Hawkeye. The story, which focused on an unhinged, out-of-work actor, had been written with [[Robin Williams]] in mind. After he turned it down, [[Whoopi Goldberg]] expressed a strong interest, but when production began, Torn reportedly had to contend with Goldberg constantly digressing and improvising and he had to plead with her to perform takes that stuck to the script. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Goldberg was backed by the studio, who also allowed her to replace Torn's chosen DP, veteran cinematographer [[John A. Alonzo]], with her then-husband. As a result of the power struggle, Torn, Southern, and Nilsson cut their own version of the film, using the takes that adhered to the script and this was screened at the [[Sundance Film Festival]], but the studio put together a rival version using other takes and it was poorly reviewed when it premiered in January 1988. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1990, he portrayed Colonel Fargo in ''[[By Dawn's Early Light]]'', a film from [[HBO]] about a fictional world war. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1991, he portrayed [[Albert Brooks]]' character's celestial defense attorney in ''[[Defending Your Life]]''. He was a jeweler who murdered his own nephew to steal a winning lottery ticket in an episode of ''[[List of Columbo episodes|Columbo]]'' that year on TV, "Death Hits the Jackpot." | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1993, Torn portrayed the [[RoboCop (franchise)|OCP]] CEO in ''[[RoboCop 3]]'' and starred opposite [[Tantoo Cardinal]] in ''[[Where the Rivers Flow North]]''. He was a Naval officer presiding over a wargame in the [[Kelsey Grammer]] submarine comedy ''[[Down Periscope]]'' in 1996. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1997, Torn appeared in the Disney film ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'', in which he voiced the god [[Zeus]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Torn played MIB agency boss Zed in the 1997 hit film ''[[Men in Black (1997 film)|Men in Black]]'', starring [[Will Smith]] and [[Tommy Lee Jones]], a role he reprised in the 2002 sequel ''[[Men in Black II]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 2001, Torn memorably portrayed James "Jim" Brody in the comedy film ''[[Freddy Got Fingered]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 2004, Torn played the iconic wrench-tossing coach Patches O'Houlihan in ''[[DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story]]''. | ||
+ | |||
== Filmography == | == Filmography == | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'' | | ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'' | ||
- | | [[Zeus]] (voice)<ref name="btva">https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Rip-Torn/</ref> | + | | [[Zeus]] (voice) |
| | | | ||
|- | |- | ||
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|- | |- | ||
| ''[[Bee Movie]]'' | | ''[[Bee Movie]]'' | ||
- | | Lou Lo Duca (voice)<ref name="btva" /> | + | | Lou Lo Duca (voice) |
| | | | ||
|- | |- | ||
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| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' | | ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' | ||
| Steve Morgan #22 | | Steve Morgan #22 | ||
- | | Episode: "Number Twenty-Two<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0508218/</ref>" | + | | Episode: "Number Twenty-Two |
|- | |- | ||
| 1961 | | 1961 | ||
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' | | ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' | ||
| Ernie Walters | | Ernie Walters | ||
- | | Episode: "The Kiss-Off<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0508311//</ref>" | + | | Episode: "The Kiss-Off |
|- | |- | ||
| 1962 | | 1962 | ||
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| 2016 | | 2016 | ||
| ''[[TripTank]]'' | | ''[[TripTank]]'' | ||
- | | M (voice)<ref name="btva" /> | + | | M (voice) |
| Episode: "#InsideRoy" <br> Final appearance before his death | | Episode: "#InsideRoy" <br> Final appearance before his death | ||
|} | |} | ||
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| rowspan=2|Zeus | | rowspan=2|Zeus | ||
| | | | ||
- | |<ref name="btva" /> | + | | |
|- | |- | ||
| 1998 | | 1998 | ||
| ''[[Disney's Animated Storybook|Hercules Animated StoryBook]]'' | | ''[[Disney's Animated Storybook|Hercules Animated StoryBook]]'' | ||
| | | | ||
- | |<ref name="btva" /> | + | | |
|- | |- | ||
| 2010 | | 2010 | ||
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| [[Hephaestus]] | | [[Hephaestus]] | ||
| | | | ||
- | |<ref name="btva" /> | + | | |
|} | |} | ||
+ | == On-set conflicts == | ||
+ | Appearing as an interview subject in [[Studs Terkel]]'s 1974 oral-history book ''[[Working (Terkel book)|Working]]'', Torn confessed, "I have certain flaws in my make-up. Something called irascibility. I get angry easily. I get saddened by things easily." | ||
+ | |||
+ | While filming ''[[Maidstone (film)|Maidstone]]'' (1970), Torn struck director and star [[Norman Mailer]] in the head with a hammer. With the camera rolling, Mailer bit Torn's ear and they wrestled to the ground. The fight continued until it was broken up by cast and crew members. The fight is featured in the film. Although the scene may have been planned by Torn, the blood shed by both actors was real, and Torn was reportedly outraged by Mailer's direction. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In 1994, he filed a [[defamation]] lawsuit against [[Dennis Hopper]] over a story Hopper told on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]''. Hopper claimed that Torn pulled a [[knife]] on him during pre-production of the film ''[[Easy Rider]]'' (1969). According to Hopper, Torn was originally cast in the film, but was replaced with [[Jack Nicholson]] after the incident. Torn claimed in his lawsuit that Hopper pulled the knife on him. A trial court judge ruled in Torn's favor and Hopper was ordered to pay $475,000 in compensatory [[damages]], but denied Torn's request for [[punitive damages]], ruling Hopper had not acted with malice. Hopper appealed. On April 1, 1998, a California appellate court upheld the ruling for compensatory damages, and reversed the ruling for the punitive damages, requiring Hopper to pay another $475,000. | ||
+ | |||
- | ==Films== | ||
- | '''Filmography of [[Rip Torn]]''' | ||
- | {| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" | ||
- | |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" | ||
- | ! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;" | Actor | ||
- | |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" | ||
- | ! Year | ||
- | ! Film | ||
- | ! Role | ||
- | ! Other notes | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1956 in film|1956]] | ||
- | | ''[[Baby Doll]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1957 in film|1957]] | ||
- | | ''[[Time Limit (film)|Time Limit]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1959 in film|1959]] | ||
- | | ''[[Pork Chop Hill]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1961 in film|1961]] | ||
- | | ''[[King of Kings (film)|King of Kings]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1962 in film|1962]] | ||
- | | ''[[Sweet Bird of Youth]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1963 in film|1963]] | ||
- | | ''[[Critic's Choice (1963 film)|Critic's Choice]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1965 in film|1965]] | ||
- | | ''[[The Cincinnati Kid]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1966 in film|1966]] | ||
- | | ''[[You're a Big Boy Now]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1967 in film|1967]] | ||
- | | ''[[Beach Red]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1970 in film|1970]] | ||
- | | ''[[Maidstone (film)|Maidstone]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="3"| [[1972 in film|1972]] | ||
- | | ''[[Cotter (film)|Cotter]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Slaughter (film)|Slaughter]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Pay Day (1972 film)|Payday]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1976 in film|1976]] | ||
- | | ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth (film)|The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1977 in film|1977]] | ||
- | | ''[[Nasty Habits (film)|Nasty Habits]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1978 in film|1978]] | ||
- | | ''[[Coma (film)|Coma]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1979 in film|1979]] | ||
- | | ''[[The Seduction of Joe Tynan]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Heartland (film)|Heartland]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1980 in film|1980]] | ||
- | | ''[[One Trick Pony]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="4"| [[1982 in film|1982]] | ||
- | | ''[[A Stranger Is Watching (film)|A Stranger Is Watching]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[The Beastmaster (film)|The Beastmaster]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Jinxed!]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1983 in film|1983]] | ||
- | | ''[[Cross Creek (film)|Cross Creek]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1984 in film|1984]] | ||
- | | ''[[Flashpoint (film)|Flashpoint]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[City Heat]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1985 in film|1985]] | ||
- | | ''[[Summer Rental]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1987 in film|1987]] | ||
- | | ''[[Extreme Prejudice (film)|Extreme Prejudice]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Nadine (1987 film)|Nadine]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1989 in film|1989]] | ||
- | | ''[[Zwei Frauen]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Hit List (film)|Hit List]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1990 in film|1990]] | ||
- | | ''[[Beautiful Dreamers]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[By Dawns Early Light]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1991 in film|1991]] | ||
- | | ''[[Defending Your Life]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1992 in film|1992]] | ||
- | | ''[[Dolly Dearest]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Beyond the Law]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[1993 in film|1993]] | ||
- | | ''[[RoboCop 3]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Where the Rivers Flow North]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="4"| [[1995 in film|1995]] | ||
- | | ''[[For Better or Worse (film)|For Better or Worse]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Canadian Bacon (film)|Canadian Bacon]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Letter To My Killer]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[How to Make an American Quilt]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1996 in film|1996]] | ||
- | | ''[[Down Periscope]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="3"| [[1997 in film|1997]] | ||
- | | ''[[Trial and Error (1997 film)|Trial and Error]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1998 in film|1998]] | ||
- | | ''[[Senseless]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[1999 in film|1999]] | ||
- | | ''[[The Insider (film)|The Insider]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[2000 in film|2000]] | ||
- | | ''[[Wonder Boys (film)|Wonder Boys]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | [[2001 in film|2001]] | ||
- | | ''[[Freddy Got Fingered]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[2002 in film|2002]] | ||
- | | ''[[Maniac Magee (film)|Maniac Magee]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Men in Black II]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[2003 in film|2003]] | ||
- | | ''[[Rolling Kansas]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Love Object]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="3"| [[2004 in film|2004]] | ||
- | | ''[[Welcome to Mooseport]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Eulogy (film)|Eulogy]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="3"| [[2005 in film|2005]] | ||
- | | ''[[Forty Shades of Blue]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[The Sisters (2005 film)|The Sisters]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Yours, Mine and Ours (2005 film)|Yours, Mine and Ours]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[2006 in film|2006]] | ||
- | | ''[[Marie Antoinette (2006 film)|Marie Antoinette]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Zoom (film)|Zoom]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[2007 in film|2007]] | ||
- | | ''[[Turn the River]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Bee Movie]]'' | ||
- | | voice | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="2"| [[2008 in film|2008]] | ||
- | | ''[[The Golden Boys]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[August (2008 film)|August]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | rowspan="3"| [[2009 in film|2009]] | ||
- | | ''[[American Cowslip]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Bridge of Names]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |- | ||
- | | ''[[Happy Tears (film)|Happy Tears]]'' | ||
- | | | ||
- | | | ||
- | |} | ||
{{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} |
Current revision
"Maidstone (1970) is now famous for the improvised fight between Norman Mailer and Rip Torn. As the camera rolled, Torn struck Mailer in the head with a hammer, intending to "kill his character". Mailer's scalp opened up, and a vicious fight ensued." --Sholem Stein |
Related e |
Featured: |
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. (February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019) was an American actor, voice artist, and comedian.
To an international audience he is remembered for his roles in Coming Apart (1969), Maidstone (1970), Tropic of Cancer (1970) and The Man Who Fell to Earth (1974).
The book Cult Movie Stars describes his integrity and says that he "took parts only in films that he considered artistic and/or politically correct."
He was also known for his on-set conflicts. While filming Maidstone, Torn struck director and star Norman Mailer in the head with a hammer. With the camera rolling, Mailer bit Torn's ear and they wrestled to the ground. The fight continued until it was broken up by cast and crew members. The fight is featured in the film.
Contents |
Film and television
After moving to Hollywood, Torn made his film debut in the 1956 film Baby Doll. Torn then studied at the Actors Studio in New York under Lee Strasberg, becoming a prolific stage actor, appearing in the original cast of Tennessee Williams' play Sweet Bird of Youth, and reprising the role in the film and television adaptations. While in New York, Torn introduced his cousin Sissy Spacek to the entertainment business, and helped her enroll in the Actors Studio.
One of Torn's earliest roles was in Pork Chop Hill, portraying the brother-in-law of Gregory Peck's character. He also had an uncredited role in A Face in the Crowd as Barry Mills. In 1957, Torn portrayed Jody in an early episode of The Restless Gun. In 1957, he starred as incarcerated Steve Morgan in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Number Twenty-Two," and on the same series in 1961 he played a recently released prisoner, Ernie Walters, in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "The Kiss-Off."
After portraying Judas, betrayer of Jesus, in 1961's epic film King of Kings, Torn appeared as a graduate student with multiple degrees in 1963's television series Channing, and as Roy Kendall in the Breaking Point episode "Millions of Faces." In 1964, Torn appeared as Eddie Sanderson in the episode "The Secret in the Stone" in The Eleventh Hour and in the premiere of The Reporter.
In 1965, in the film The Cincinnati Kid, he played Slade, a corrupt New Orleans millionaire who pressures Steve McQueen during a high-stakes poker game. On television that year, Torn portrayed Colonel Royce in the episode "The Lorelei" of Twelve O'Clock High.
Following the aforementioned roles, he had turns as a character actor in numerous subsequent films (see below filmography).
The part of George Hanson in Easy Rider was written for Torn by Terry Southern, but according to Southern's biographer Lee Hill, Torn withdrew from the project after he and co-director Dennis Hopper got into a bitter argument in a New York restaurant (see on-set conflicts section below). Jack Nicholson played Hanson instead in a career-launching performance.
In 1972, Torn won rave reviews for his portrayal of a country and western singer in the cult film Payday. He co-starred with singer David Bowie in the 1976 science-fiction film, The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1983's Cross Creek as a poor neighbor of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in the orange groves of Florida. He portrayed a Southern senator in 1979's The Seduction of Joe Tynan, opposite Alan Alda and Meryl Streep, and a music producer in Paul Simon's 1980 film One Trick Pony.
In 1982, Torn played a role as a holy man in the sword-and-sorcery movie The Beastmaster. He also co-starred in Jinxed!, a comedy with Bette Midler, and appeared as an airline executive in Airplane II: The Sequel. He played a Sheriff, opposite Treat Williams and Kris Kristofferson, in the 1984 thriller Flashpoint. Torn was nominated for the CableACE Award for his portrayal of Big Daddy in the 1984 Showtime production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He co-starred with John Candy as a man who helps a tourist win a sailboat race in the 1985 comedy Summer Rental. He had a brief role as Sheriff Hank Pearson in Extreme Prejudice.
In 1988, he ventured into directing with The Telephone. The screenplay was written by Terry Southern and Harry Nilsson and the film was produced by their company, Hawkeye. The story, which focused on an unhinged, out-of-work actor, had been written with Robin Williams in mind. After he turned it down, Whoopi Goldberg expressed a strong interest, but when production began, Torn reportedly had to contend with Goldberg constantly digressing and improvising and he had to plead with her to perform takes that stuck to the script.
Goldberg was backed by the studio, who also allowed her to replace Torn's chosen DP, veteran cinematographer John A. Alonzo, with her then-husband. As a result of the power struggle, Torn, Southern, and Nilsson cut their own version of the film, using the takes that adhered to the script and this was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, but the studio put together a rival version using other takes and it was poorly reviewed when it premiered in January 1988.
In 1990, he portrayed Colonel Fargo in By Dawn's Early Light, a film from HBO about a fictional world war.
In 1991, he portrayed Albert Brooks' character's celestial defense attorney in Defending Your Life. He was a jeweler who murdered his own nephew to steal a winning lottery ticket in an episode of Columbo that year on TV, "Death Hits the Jackpot."
In 1993, Torn portrayed the OCP CEO in RoboCop 3 and starred opposite Tantoo Cardinal in Where the Rivers Flow North. He was a Naval officer presiding over a wargame in the Kelsey Grammer submarine comedy Down Periscope in 1996.
In 1997, Torn appeared in the Disney film Hercules, in which he voiced the god Zeus.
Torn played MIB agency boss Zed in the 1997 hit film Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, a role he reprised in the 2002 sequel Men in Black II.
In 2001, Torn memorably portrayed James "Jim" Brody in the comedy film Freddy Got Fingered.
In 2004, Torn played the iconic wrench-tossing coach Patches O'Houlihan in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1956 | Baby Doll | The Dentist | Uncredited |
1957 | A Face in the Crowd | Barry Mills | Uncredited |
Time Limit | Lt. George Miller | ||
1959 | Pork Chop Hill | Lt. Walter B. Russell | |
1961 | King of Kings | Judas Iscariot | |
1962 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Thomas J. Finley, Jr. | |
Hero's Island | Nicholas Gates | ||
1963 | Critic's Choice | Dion Kapakos | |
1965 | The Cincinnati Kid | Slade | |
1966 | You're a Big Boy Now | I.H. Chanticleer | |
One Spy Too Many | Alexander | (archive footage) | |
1967 | Beach Red | Sergeant Honeywell | |
1968 | Sol Madrid | Dano Villanova | |
Beyond the Law | Popcorn | ||
1969 | Lions Love | THE BEARD Director | Uncredited |
Coming Apart | Joe | ||
Tropic of Cancer | Henry Miller | ||
1970 | Maidstone | Raoul Rey O'Houlihan | |
1972 | Slaughter | Dominic Hoffo | |
Payday | Maury Dann | ||
1973 | The President's Plane Is Missing | George Oldenburg | TV movie |
Cotter | Roy | ||
1974 | Crazy Joe | Richie | |
1976 | The Man Who Fell to Earth | Dr. Nathan Bryce | |
Birch Interval | Thomas | ||
1977 | Nasty Habits | Father Maximilian | |
The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover | Dwight Webb | ||
1978 | Coma | Dr. George | |
1979 | The Seduction of Joe Tynan | Senator Kittner | |
Heartland | Clyde Stewart | ||
1980 | One Trick Pony | Walter Fox | |
First Family | General G. E. Dumpston | ||
1982 | A Stranger Is Watching | Artie Taggart | |
The Beastmaster | Maax | ||
Jinxed! | Harold Benson | ||
Airplane II: The Sequel | Bud Kruger | ||
1983 | Cross Creek | Marsh Turner | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
1984 | Misunderstood | Will | |
Flashpoint | Sheriff Wells | ||
Songwriter | Dino McLeish | ||
City Heat | Primo Pitt | ||
1985 | Summer Rental | Scully | |
Beer | Buzz Beckerman | ||
1987 | Extreme Prejudice | Sheriff Hank Pearson | |
Nadine | Bufford Pope | ||
1988 | Blind Curve | Maheu | |
1989 | Hit List | Vic Luca | |
Cold Feet | Sheriff | ||
Zwei Frauen | Dr. Markowitz | ||
1990 | Beautiful Dreamers | Walt Whitman | |
By Dawn's Early Light | Colonel Fargo | TV movie | |
1991 | Defending Your Life | Bob Diamond | |
1992 | Dolly Dearest | Karl Resnick | |
Beyond the Law | Deputy Butch Prescott | ||
1993 | RoboCop 3 | OCP CEO | |
Where the Rivers Flow North | Noel Lord | ||
1995 | For Better or Worse | Captain Cole | |
Canadian Bacon | General Dick Panzer | ||
How to Make an American Quilt | Arthur | ||
1996 | Down Periscope | Vice Adm. Dean Winslow | |
The Mouse | Trucker 'God' | ||
1997 | Trial and Error | Benny Gibbs | |
Hercules | Zeus (voice) | ||
Men in Black | Zed | Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | |
1998 | Senseless | Randall Tyson | |
1999 | The Insider | John Scanlon | |
2000 | Wonder Boys | Quentin "Q" Morewood | |
2001 | Freddy Got Fingered | Jim Brody | Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor |
2002 | Men in Black II | Zed | |
2003 | Rolling Kansas | Oldman | |
Love Object | Novak | ||
2004 | Welcome to Mooseport | Bert Langdon | |
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story | Patches O'Houlihan | ||
Eulogy | Edmund Collins | ||
2005 | Forty Shades of Blue | Alan James | |
The Sisters | Dr. Chebrin | ||
Yours, Mine & Ours | Commandant Sherman | ||
2006 | Marie Antoinette | Louis XV | |
Zoom | Larraby | ||
2007 | Turn the River | Teddy Quinette | |
Bee Movie | Lou Lo Duca (voice) | ||
Three Days to Vegas | Joe Wallace | ||
2008 | August | David Sterling | |
Lucky Days | Bobo | ||
The Golden Boys | Captain Jeremiah "Jerry" Burgess | ||
2009 | Happy Tears | Joe | |
American Cowslip | Trevor O'Hart | ||
The Afterlight | Carl | ||
2011 | The Legend of Awesomest Maximus | King Looney | |
3 Weeks to Daytona | Sal | ||
2012 | Men in Black 3 | Large-Headed Alien at Funeral | Uncredited |
Bridge of Names | Tom | ||
2013 | Johnny Kidd | Frank | Final film appearance |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1957 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Steve Morgan #22 | Episode: "Number Twenty-Two |
1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Ernie Walters | Episode: "The Kiss-Off |
1962 | Naked City | Ansel Boake | Episode: "A Case of Two Savages" |
1962, 1964 | Dr. Kildare | John Burroughs/Dr. Keefe | 2 episodes |
1963 | The Lieutenant | GySgt Karl Kasten | Episode: "The Proud and the Angry" |
1964 | Combat! | Sgt Avery | Episode: "A Gift of Hope" |
1965 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Mr. Alexander | 2 episodes |
Mannix | Victor Roarke | Episode: "The Open Web" | |
Rawhide | Chiricahua Chief Jacob Yellow-Sun | Episode: "Escort to Doom" | |
1971 | Bonanza | Will Hewitt | Episode: "Blind Hunch" |
1978 | Steel Cowboy | K.W. Hicks | Television film |
The Eddie Capra Mysteries | Kilraine | Episode: "The Intimate Friends of Janet Wilde" | |
Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case | Charles Burt | Television film | |
1980 | Sophia Loren: Her Own Story | Carlo Ponti | Television film |
1982 | Blind Ambition | Richard Nixon | Miniseries Unknown episodes |
The Blue and the Gray | Gen. Ulysses S. Grant | Miniseries 3 episodes | |
1984 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | Big Daddy | Showtime production Nominated for CableACE Award for Actor in a Theatrical or Dramatic Special |
1985 | The Atlanta Child Murders | Lewis Slaton | Miniseries 3 episodes |
1986 | Dream West | Kit Carson | Miniseries 2 episodes |
1988 | April Morning | Solomon Chandler | Television film |
1989 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Boss Finley | Television film |
1991 | Columbo | Leon Lamarr | Episode: "Death Hits the Jackpot" |
Another Pair of Aces: Three of a Kind | Captain Jack Parsons | Television film | |
1992–1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Artie | 89 episodes |
1994 | Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III | Adolphus | Miniseries 3 episodes |
1995 | Letter to My Killer | Russel Vanik | Television film |
1997–1998 | Ghost Stories | Narrator | 44 episodes |
1999 | Balloon Farm | Harvey H. Potter | Television film |
2002 | Maniac Magee | George McNab | Television film |
Will & Grace | Lionel Banks | 4 episodes | |
2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Jules Copeland | Episode: "Bedfellows" |
2007–2009 | 30 Rock | Don Geiss | 7 episodes |
2016 | TripTank | M (voice) | Episode: "#InsideRoy" Final appearance before his death |
Video games
Year | Title | Voice role | Notes | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Hercules | Zeus | ||
1998 | Hercules Animated StoryBook | |||
2010 | God of War III | Hephaestus |
On-set conflicts
Appearing as an interview subject in Studs Terkel's 1974 oral-history book Working, Torn confessed, "I have certain flaws in my make-up. Something called irascibility. I get angry easily. I get saddened by things easily."
While filming Maidstone (1970), Torn struck director and star Norman Mailer in the head with a hammer. With the camera rolling, Mailer bit Torn's ear and they wrestled to the ground. The fight continued until it was broken up by cast and crew members. The fight is featured in the film. Although the scene may have been planned by Torn, the blood shed by both actors was real, and Torn was reportedly outraged by Mailer's direction.
In 1994, he filed a defamation lawsuit against Dennis Hopper over a story Hopper told on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Hopper claimed that Torn pulled a knife on him during pre-production of the film Easy Rider (1969). According to Hopper, Torn was originally cast in the film, but was replaced with Jack Nicholson after the incident. Torn claimed in his lawsuit that Hopper pulled the knife on him. A trial court judge ruled in Torn's favor and Hopper was ordered to pay $475,000 in compensatory damages, but denied Torn's request for punitive damages, ruling Hopper had not acted with malice. Hopper appealed. On April 1, 1998, a California appellate court upheld the ruling for compensatory damages, and reversed the ruling for the punitive damages, requiring Hopper to pay another $475,000.