Earl Boen was an actor who played criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in “The Terminator” and its first two sequels.
- Died: January 5, 2023 (Who else died on January 5?)
- Details of death: Died in Hawaii after fighting lung cancer at the age of 81.
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Acting career
Boen’s “Terminator” role was his best-known for many moviegoers, a bit of comic relief in the sci-fi classics as he insisted the time travelers were suffering from paranoid delusions. He was the only actor other than Arnold Schwarzenegger to appear in the first three films in the franchise. Yet he had a long and diverse career in movies, TV, animation, and video games. On TV, he played chef Dennis Hubner in the second and third seasons of “It’s a Living,” and he had a regular recurring role on “Mama’s Family” as Rev. Meechum. Boen also played a reverend on two episodes of “The Golden Girls,” as well as the recurring role of Judge Walter Swanson on “L.A. Law” and making many guest appearances on shows including “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “M*A*S*H,” “Seinfeld,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and “The West Wing.” His movies included “9 to 5,” “The Man with Two Brains,” “Naked Gun 33+1/2: The Final Insult,” and “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.”
Boen’s many voice roles included “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Pinky and the Brain,” “Spider-Man: The Animated Series,” “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” and “Kim Possible.” He narrated “World of Warcraft” and had voice roles in many other video games, such as “The Curse of Monkey Island,” several “Star Trek” games, “X-Men Legends,” and “Everquest 2.”
Boen on his “Terminator” character
“I’m like the cockroach that wouldn’t die. I just keep turning up and showing up. Besides Arnold, I’m the only one that was in all of the first three Terminator movies. Him and I, we are the only two that can say that.” —from a 2014 interview for The Arnold Fans
Tributes to Earl Boen
Full obituary: Variety
