Clark Tinsley Middleton (April 13, 1957 – October 4, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in ''
Kill Bill: Vol. 2'', ''
Sin City
''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Presents'' #51â ...
'', ''
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
'', ''
Snowpiercer
''Snowpiercer'' () is a 2013 Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic science fiction action film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel ''Le Transperceneige'' by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette ...
'', and ''
The Blacklist
''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily sur ...
''.
Career
Middleton's first step toward acting was signing up for a $15 acting class with friends at a
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
junior college.
After participating in a little bit of theater in L.A., he moved to New York City to study acting. He took classes at the Herbert Berghof Studio, and Geraldine Page became his teacher.
He made his film debut in the 1983 TV movie, ''Miss Lonelyhearts''. In 1997, Middleton wrote the one-person play, ''Miracle Mile,'' about his lifelong struggle with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Juvenile may refer to:
*Juvenile status, or minor (law), prior to adulthood
* Juvenile (organism)
*Juvenile (rapper) (born 1975), American rapper
* ''Juvenile'' (2000 film), Japanese film
* ''Juvenile'' (2017 film)
*Juvenile (greyhounds), a greyh ...
. He performed it in New York City and other parts of the US.
In the 1990s, Middleton had a recurring role on ''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' as forensics
Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and crimina ...
technician, Ellis. He also played a recurring character known as Edward Markham, a rare book dealer, in the science-fiction series, ''Fringe''. Middleton appeared as a recurring cast member on ''The Blacklist
''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily sur ...
'' in which he played Glen Carter, a DMV worker who moonlights as a tracker. This is arguably his most well-known role. In 2017, he was cast as Charlie, Audrey Horne's husband, in the Showtime Network
Showtime is an American premium television network owned by Paramount Media Networks, and is the flagship property of the namesake parent company, Showtime Networks, a part of Paramount Media Networks. Showtime's programming primarily includes t ...
series, '' Twin Peaks: The Return'', the sequel to the 1990s TV series, ''Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...
''.
His final performance, via Zoom
Zoom may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Zoom (software), videoconferencing application
* Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display
* Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...
, was in July 2020. He played a weary Times Square hotel night clerk in Eugene O'Neill's one-act play, ''Hughie
''Hughie'' is a short two-character play by Eugene O'Neill set in the lobby of a small hotel on a West Side street in Midtown Manhattan, New York, during the summer of 1928. The play is essentially a long monologue delivered by a small-time hus ...
.'' He performed it from his bedroom.
Following Middleton's death, his character Glen also died of West Nile virus
West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...
in ''The Blacklist'' season 8
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In tempera ...
episode, "The Wellstone Agency." The episode was dedicated to Middleton, and featured Huey Lewis
Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor.
Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many o ...
playing himself as part of the character's memorial.
Personal life
Born Clark Tinsley Middleton on April 13, 1957, in Bristol, Tennessee, he grew up in Tucson, Arizona.
Middleton learned that he had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Juvenile may refer to:
*Juvenile status, or minor (law), prior to adulthood
* Juvenile (organism)
*Juvenile (rapper) (born 1975), American rapper
* ''Juvenile'' (2000 film), Japanese film
* ''Juvenile'' (2017 film)
*Juvenile (greyhounds), a greyh ...
when he was four and a half years old. The doctors said he would probably not live through another winter in the cold, damp climate. He summarized its effects in an interview: "At first it distorted my hands. Then the cortisone
Cortisone is a pregnene (21-carbon) steroid hormone. It is a naturally-occurring corticosteroid metabolite that is also used as a pharmaceutical prodrug; it is not synthesized in the adrenal glands. Cortisol is converted by the action of the enzy ...
I had to take made my cheeks fat. At 8, I lost movement in my neck. When I was 15, my hip snapped. After an operation, I had to be on crutches and later, after I broke my leg falling over my dog, on canes." He remained at a height of .
He married Elissa Meyers in 2006.
Middleton died of complications from West Nile virus
West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...
on October 4, 2020 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...
. He was 63 years old. He is survived by his wife Elissa.
Selected filmography
* ''American Playhouse
''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Overview
It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever an ...
'' (1983, TV Series) as Congregation
* ''Bail Jumper'' (1990) as Dickey
* ''The Contenders'' (1993) as John
* ''Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' (1997–2000, TV Series) as Ellis
* '' The Opponent'' (2000) as Max Weller
* ''Little Pieces'' (2000) as Bellhop
* ''Serendipity
Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery. Serendipity is a common occurrence throughout the history of product invention and scientific discovery.
Etymology
The first noted use of "serendipity" was by Horace Walpole on 28 January 1754. I ...
'' (2001) as Airport Cab Driver
* '' Kill Bill: Vol. 2'' (2004) as Ernie
* ''$5.15/Hr.'' (2004, TV Movie)
* ''Jonny Zero
''Jonny Zero'' is an American television action-crime drama series, created and written by R. Scott Gemmill and executive produced by John Wells, that premiered on Fox on January 14, 2005. The series principally stars Franky G as Jonny Calvo, ...
'' (2005, TV Series) as Wally
* ''Sin City
''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in ''Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Presents'' #51â ...
'' (2005) as Schutz
* ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...
'' (2005–2006, TV Series) as Delivery Man's Attorney / Freddie Sloan
* ''Live Free or Die
"Live Free or Die" is the official motto of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, adopted by the state in 1945. It is possibly the best-known of all state mottos, partly because it conveys an assertive independence historically found in American po ...
'' (2006) as Larry
* ''The Convention'' (2006, Short) as Singing Hobo
* '' The Warrior Class'' (2007) as Carl Raffon
* ''Day Zero
''Day Zero'' is a 2007 American film directed by Bryan Gunnar Cole and written by Robert Malkani. Set in the near future when global terrorism has forced the military to reinstate the draft, three young men, who have just received their inductio ...
'' (2007) as Porn Clerk
* '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2007, TV Series) as Landlord
* ''Noise
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...
'' (2007) as Board of Elections Worker #1
* '' The Attic'' (2007) as Dr. Cofi
* ''Last Call'' (2008) as Tim
* ''Taking Woodstock
''Taking Woodstock'' is a 2009 American comedy-drama film about the Woodstock Festival of 1969, directed by Ang Lee. The screenplay by James Schamus is based on the memoir '' Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life'' by Ell ...
'' (2009) as Frank
* ''The Good Heart
''The Good Heart'' is an Icelandic independent film written and directed by Dagur Kári, starring Brian Cox and Paul Dano. It debuted at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.
Plot
Short-tempered bartender Jacques ( Brian Cox) has a h ...
'' (2009) as Dimitri
* ''Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
'' (2009–2012, TV Series) as Edward Markham
* '' As Good as Dead'' (2010) as Seth
* ''Hide Your Smiling Faces
''Hide Your Smiling Faces'' is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone about the story of two brothers who have their summer vacation ruined by a tragedy. The film stars Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson, Colm O'Leary, T ...
'' (2013) as Religious Man
* ''Aftermath'' (2013) as Man in Wheel Chair
* ''Snowpiercer
''Snowpiercer'' () is a 2013 Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic science fiction action film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel ''Le Transperceneige'' by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette ...
'' (2013) as Painter
* '' Birdman'' (2014) as Sydney
* ''The Blacklist
''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily sur ...
'' (2014–2020, TV Series) as Glen Carter
* '' Gotham'' (2014, TV Series) as Jimmy
* '' South of Hell'' (2015, TV Series) as Corky
* ''Trivia Night'' (2016)
* '' The Path'' (2016–2017, TV Series) as Richard
* ''Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...
'' (2017, TV Series) as Charlie
* ''American Gods
''American Gods'' (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow.
The book was pub ...
'' (2019, TV Series) as Sindri
* ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and L ...
'' (2019, TV Series) as Pretorious Pryce
* '' American Sausage Standoff'' (2019) as Luke Kenneth Hosewall
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Clark
1957 births
2020 deaths
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Infectious disease deaths in California
People from Bristol, Tennessee
Male actors from California
Male actors from Tennessee