Virgil Charles Frye (August 21, 1930 – May 7, 2012) was an American actor and former

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nation ...

boxing champion. He grew up in

Estherville, Iowa Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County. History Emmet County was initially created by an act of th ...

. He had two children,

Sean Frye Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...

(''

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, d ...

'') and

Soleil Moon Frye Soleil Moon Frye (; born August 6, 1976) is an American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. She began her career as a child actress at the age of two. When she was seven, Frye won the role of Penelope "Punky" Brewster in the NBC sitco ...

(''

Punky Brewster ''Punky Brewster'' is an American sitcom television series about a young girl (Soleil Moon Frye) being raised by a foster parent (George Gaynes). The show ran on NBC from September 16, 1984, to March 9, 1986, and again in syndication from Octobe ...

''), and was the father-in-law of

Jason Goldberg Jason Goldberg (born 1972) is an American film and television producer. Goldberg is the producer of the films ''Guess Who'' and '' The Butterfly Effect'' and executive producer of the shows ''Beauty and the Geek'' and ''Punk'd''. He often work ...

. Frye made an uncredited appearance in the 1969 film ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...

'' while working as a makeup artist. His credited films included roles in ''

Nightmare in Wax ''Nightmare in Wax'' is a 1969 horror film. Cameron Mitchell plays Vince Rinaud, a former film special effects artist who is disfigured by Max Block, the head of Paragon Pictures, and also a rival for the affections of a woman (Anne Helm). Lea ...

'' (1969), ''The Jesus Trip'' (1971), ''

Garden of the Dead ''Garden of the Dead'' (also known as ''Tomb of the Undead'') is a 1972 horror film directed by low-budget film director John Hayes and stars Phil Kenneally, Duncan McLeod, Lee Frost and Susan Charney. Plot A group of prison inmates in a chain ...

'' (1972), ''

Deadhead Miles ''Deadhead Miles'' is a 1972 American road comedy film directed by Vernon Zimmerman from a script by Terrence Malick, and starring Alan Arkin, Bruce Bennett and Paul Benedict. Actors George Raft and Ida Lupino make cameos. Plot Cooper (Alan Ark ...

'' (1973), ''The Cat Creature'' (1973), ''

The Klansman ''The Klansman'' (also known as ''Burning Cross'') is a 1974 American drama film based on the 1967 book of the same name by William Bradford Huie. It was directed by Terence Young and starred Lee Marvin, Richard Burton, O. J. Simpson (in his fe ...

'' (1974), ''

Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw ''Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw'' is a 1976 crime drama film directed by Mark L. Lester and starring Marjoe Gortner and Lynda Carter. The film marks the big screen debut of Lynda Carter and was released four months after her first appearance as ...

'' (1976), ''

The Missouri Breaks ''The Missouri Breaks'' is a 1976 American Western film starring Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. The film was directed by Arthur Penn, with supporting performances by Randy Quaid, Harry Dean Stanton, Frederic Forrest, John McLiam, and Kath ...

'' (1976), ''

Up from the Depths ''Up From the Depths'' is a 1979 horror film directed by Charles B. Griffith and starring Sam Bottoms, Susanne Reed, Virgil Frye, Kedric Wolfe, and Charles Howerton. The film, along with many other natural horror films at the time of its releas ...

'' (1979), ''

Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype ''Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama horror romance film directed by Charles B. Griffith, starring Oliver Reed and Sunny Johnson. Plot The film is a reversal of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' ...

'' (1980), '' Graduation Day'' (1981), ''

Take This Job and Shove It "Take This Job and Shove It" is a 1977 country music song written by David Allan Coe and popularized by Johnny Paycheck, about the bitterness of a man who has worked long and hard with no apparent reward. The song was first recorded by Paycheck o ...

'' (1981), ''

Revenge of the Ninja ''Revenge of the Ninja'' is a 1983 American martial arts– thriller film directed by Sam Firstenberg, and starring martial artist Sho Kosugi, Keith Vitali, Virgil Frye and Kane Kosugi. The plot follows a ninja trying to protect his only son fr ...

'' (1983), ''Running Hot'' (1984), ''

The Burning Bed ''The Burning Bed'' is both a 1980 non-fiction book by Faith McNulty about battered housewife Francine Hughes, and a 1984 TV-movie adaptation written by Rose Leiman Goldemberg. The plot follows Hughes' trial for the murder of her husband, James B ...

'' (1984), '' Winners Take All'' (1987), ''

Colors Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...

'' (1988), ''The Secret of the Ice Cave'' (1989), ''

The Hot Spot ''The Hot Spot'' is a 1990 American neo-noir film directed by Dennis Hopper, based on the 1953 novel ''Hell Hath No Fury'' by Charles Williams, who also co-wrote the screenplay. It stars Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, and Jennifer Connelly, and f ...

'' (1990), ''

Man Trouble ''Man Trouble'' is a 1992 American romantic black comedy film starring Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin. It was directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Carole Eastman, who together had been responsible for 1970's ''Five Easy Pieces''. The fil ...

'' (1992) and '' S.F.W.'' (1994). Frye suffered from Pick's Disease or Frontotemporal dementia (FTD). He was the subject of a documentary made by his daughter, titled ''Sonny Boy'', which documents a trip that Frye and his daughter, Soleil Moon Frye, took to his hometown, and the effect his illness has had on their relationship. Virgil Frye died at an Orange County nursing home on May 7, 2012.

Filmography

References

External links

* Boxers from Iowa American male film actors American male television actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Iowa 2012 deaths People from Estherville, Iowa 1930 births American male boxers {{US-tv-actor-1930s-stub