Richard Dysart (1929-2015)

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

.

 

[J.T.B.]

He got some very memorable on-screen surprises in The Thing and LA Law (not as surprising for his character as Diana Muldaur's). He played doctors and judges a lot, he had a kind of solid authority. I especially liked his understated knowing-ness in Being There. RIP.

 

[Karzak]

A very nice write-up about Dysart:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/richard-dysart-dead-la-law-787524

 

[Trekker4747]

Guess I'll watch MST3K's "Riding With Death", that's the only thing I can think of that I have with him in it.

 

[Tosk]

Halfway through THE THING three of the still-human characters, including Dysart's doctor, are somehow framed by the fake humans, and tied up together by the less suspicious in the group. Dysart always makes me chuckle when he's interrogated. You can tell John Carpenter gave him instructions to play up his facial expressions and dialogue. If you've seen the film twice or more, you know Dysart's innocent. That makes his paranoid facial reactions even more humorous. He's asked about a high-security key. He answers ''SoonasI'mfinishedIreturnitrightaway!'' and juts his head in an attempt to deflect suspicion.

Doc Copper is dead by the point people are being tied up.

...But I do love that earlier scene with the discussion about the keys.

 

[Tosk]

Sorry, you're right...Copper is tied up earlier (shot up with morphine), but he has no lines while tied up. No interrogation.

Edit: I forgot the point. Dysart is dead, and that's a shame. Sorry for the derail.

 

[Karzak]

Well in fairness, it was Timothy Dalton who made the "farewell to arms" quip in License to Kill:

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSyk0jmBx6s[/yt]