Brian Senechal

1948 - 2025

Brian Scott Senechal, 77, passed away on December 25, 2025, surrounded by the love of family.

Scott was born on April 10, 1948, in Rugby, North Dakota-a town famously known as the geographical center of North America. He spent his early childhood in Towner, North Dakota, where the harsh winters and vast prairies of the Northern Plains shaped his character. In 1961, his family relocated to Arlington, Virginia.

Scott graduated from Wakefield High School in 1966, where he was a starting tackle on the Wakefield Warriors' state championship football team. It was also at Wakefield that he first met Peggy Ford, a cheerleader who would later become his wife. He went on to attend Virginia Tech before earning his master's degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

Scott fell in love with California and built his life and career there, making his home in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. He began his film career in the sound department in the late 1970s, working as a boom operator on productions including Oh, God! Book II and Brewster's Millions. He transitioned into production sound before rising to become a first assistant director and producer, working on dozens of film and television projects over three decades. His credits include some of the most acclaimed films of the era: the Academy Award–winning Rain Man, Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise, John Carpenter's classic They Live, Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers, and Danny DeVito's Hoffa. He also contributed to The Tuskegee Airmen and worked in television on series including Crossing Jordan and In Plain Sight. Scott's son Clay followed his father's career in entertainment as a screenwriter.

Scott was a devoted traveler who approached trip planning with the same care and enthusiasm he brought to his film work. He loved nothing more than spreading out a stack of maps and charting the perfect itinerary. In recent years, he and Peggy explored Hawaii, Italy, Portugal, Iceland, and Spain together. At family gatherings, Scott recounted their adventures. Scott's wonderful sense of humor and gift for storytelling made him the center of many conversations. He particularly enjoyed reminiscing with his brother Gary and sister Julie about their childhood on the "freezing tundra" of North Dakota.

Scott was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Phyllis Senechal, and his brother Kim. He is survived by his beloved wife Peggy; his brother Gary; his sister Julianne; his son Clay and grandson Silas; his stepdaughter Lindsey Gary-Ford, her spouse Mary, and granddaughters Stella and Hazel; his nephew Jesse and wife Erin, along with their daughters Regina, Hazel, and Veronica; and his niece Anna and her daughter Caroline.

A private memorial service will be held.