Darrell Sandeen (July 13, 1930 – January 22, 2009) was a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

who specialized in playing menacing or offbeat people. Perhaps his best-known role was as corrupt cop "Buzz" Meeks in ''

L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson. Plot The s ...

''. Sandeen started as a stage actor on Broadway, appearing in the original casts of ''Young Abe Lincoln'', '' Can-Can'', '' Here's Love'', a revival of ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'', ''A Joyful Noise'', and ''The Fig Leaves are Falling''. He can be heard on three cast albums. Moving to Hollywood, he appeared on such television shows as ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'' and ''

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

''. He was featured in ''

'', ''

Blazing Saddles ''Blazing Saddles'' is a 1974 American satirical western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who also wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Alan Uger. The film stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. ...

'', and '' They Call Me Bruce?''. Sandeen continued acting until shortly before his death; later roles included appearing as a possible conspirator in the Kennedy assassination in '' Interview with the Assassin'', playing opposite porn star Mary Carey in ''

Pervert! ''Pervert!'' is a 2005 American comedy horror film directed by Jonathan Yudis. It is mainly a tribute to the films of Russ Meyer. Plot College student James (Andrews) arrives from New Orleans at a desert ranch owned by his father, Hezekiah ( Sa ...

'', and playing Homeless Al in ''String Theory''. Sandeen remained active in theatre as part of the Musical Theatre Guild in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Sandeen died on January 22, 2009, of complications following a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * 1930 births 2009 deaths Male actors from Chicago American male film actors 20th-century American male actors American male stage actors American male television actors {{US-actor-stub