Wilford Brimley was a character actor known for his gruff and grumpy persona in movies including “Cocoon” and “The Natural,” television shows such as “The Waltons” and “Our House,” and commercials for Quaker Oats and Liberty Medical’s supplies for diabetes patients.
- Died: Saturday, August 1, 2020 (Who else died on August 1?)
- Details of death: Died in St. George, Utah after being hospitalized with a kidney ailment at the age of 85.
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Rodeo rider to actor
Brimley began his acting career relatively late in life and hadn’t dreamed of being on the silver screen as a young man. Instead, the Salt Lake City native had a career working with horses after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He became a rodeo rider, a ranch hand, and a blacksmith, and he found work shoeing horses for production companies filming Westerns. Eventually, he began working as a stuntman and an extra in those same Westerns, which led to his breakthrough role on “The Waltons.”
When he was cast in “Cocoon” in 1985, Brimley was only 50, but his grey hair and signature large mustache helped him look like the senior citizen he played. Brimley’s ad campaign for Quaker Oats in the 1980s and ‘90s was iconic, as he touted the oatmeal as “The right thing to do and the tasty way to do it.” As well known was his series of commercials for Liberty Medical’s supplies for diabetic patients. Brimley himself was diagnosed with diabetes in 1979 and worked for decades to raise awareness of the disease. He was honored by the American Diabetes Association for his work on behalf of those with diabetes.
Notable quote
“Nobody on the face of this earth could ever run their mouth and their ears at the same time and ever learn something.” —from a 2017 Q&A session with theater students
What people said about him
Full obituary: The New York Times
Related lives
- Hume Cronyn (1911 – 2003), “Cocoon” star
- Paul Newman (1925 – 2008), “Absence of Malice” star
- Ralph Waite (1928 – 2014), “The Waltons” star
