Ned Beatty

Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 – June 13, 2021) was an American actor. His career expanded over five decades and he appeared in more than 160 film and television roles. Known as "the busiest actor in Hollywood", Beatty's film appearances include classics like Deliverance (1972), White Lightning (1973), All the President's Men (1976), Network (1976), Superman (1978 & 1980), Back to School (1986), Rudy (1993), Shooter (2007), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Rango (2011). Also noteworthy is his regular role as Stanley Bolander in the first three seasons of the hit NBC TV drama Homicide: Life on the Street. Beatty was nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain, and a Golden Globe Award; he was also a recipient of a Drama Desk Award.

Early in his life, Beatty began singing in gospel and barbershop quartets which staged the foundation to his acting career. His theater debut in 1956 came when he was only 19, starting with Wilderness Road, an outdoor-historical pageant located in Berea, Kentucky. His notable performances in theaters led him back to Louisville where he starred as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman in 1966. Throughout his career, Beatty remained dedicated to supporting roles, asserting that leading roles were 'more trouble than they're worth,' Beatty's final appearances were in television series Go On (2013) and films The Big Ask and Baggage Claim (2013). His death in 2021 marked the end of an illustrious career.