Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was the quintessential Grumpy Old Man, and also an American actor.
Prior to becoming an actor, Brimley lived a colorful life - he served in the US Marine Corps, was a bodyguard to Howard Hughes, and worked as a farrier.
Instantly recognizable due to his large mustache and rotund physique, the Utah native first got involved in the film business in the '60s, being initially employed as a horse shoer and occasional stuntman. His first acting role came in 1970, when he was cast as recurring character Horace Brimley in The Waltons. Following that, he appeared in several movies and TV series. Notable film roles include Ben Luckett in Cocoon and Dr. Blair in The Thing, where he appears mustache-less. From 1986–88 he starred in the NBC drama series Our House.
Brimley was close friends with Robert Duvall, with whom he's appeared in several movies, and he credits Duvall for helping his acting career when he was starting out in the industry.
In addition to his acting career, Brimley was an accomplished singer of ballads
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He's also well-known on the Internet for his appearance in a series of memetic commercials for Liberty Medical Diabetic Supplies, in which he infamously pronounces the disease's name as "diabeetus". Ironically, he had previously been a spokesman for Quaker Oats, where he proved that he knew how to get a kid to do the right thing and eat its goddamned oatmeal.
He passed away on August 1, 2020 while hospitalized in Utah for kidney disease.
Partial filmography:
- The China Syndrome (1979) as Ted Spindler
- The Electric Horseman (1979) as Farmer
- Brubaker (1980) as a prison board member
- Absence of Malice (1981) as Assistant U.S. Attorney General James A. Wells
- The Thing (1982) as Dr. Blair
- Tender Mercies (1983) as Harry
- 10 to Midnight (1983) as Capt. Malone
- The Hotel New Hampshire (1984) as Iowa Bob
- The Natural (1984) as Pop Fisher
- Cocoon (1985) as Ben Luckett, a role he reprised in Cocoon: The Return (1988)
- Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) as Director Harold Smith
- Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) as Noa Briqualon
- The Firm (1993) as William Devasher
- Hard Target (1993) as Uncle Douvee
- Homicide: Life on the Street (1994) as Harry "The Admiral" Prentice (1 episode)
- My Fellow Americans (1996) as Joe Hollis
- In & Out (1997) as Frank Brackett
- Brigham City (2001) as Stu
- Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009) as Earl Granger
