Character actor Harry Dean Stanton died of natural causes on Friday, September 15, 2017 in Los Angeles. He was 91 years old.

Stanton was born in West Irvine, Kentucky on July 14, 1926. He served in the Navy during World War II and attended the University of Kentucky where he studied journalism and radio. Once he became interested in acting, he moved to California to study at the Pasadena Playhouse.

His first onscreen role was in Inner Sanctum in 1954, which was followed by many, many guest appearances and supporting roles on TV and in film. On TV he appeared in The Rifleman, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Zane Grey Theater, Bonanza, and Gunsmoke among many others. His film credits included Pork Chop Hill, How the West Was Won, Cool Hand Luke, Kelly’s Heroes, The Godfather: Part II, Alien, Private Benjamin, and Escape from New York.

In 1984 he had his first leading role in Paris, Texas, was in the cult flick Repo Man, and was in Red Dawn. Two years later he played the downtrodden dad to Molly Ringwald’s character in the ’80s teen classic Pretty in Pink, then in ’88 he was in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ.

This was followed by roles in Down Periscope, The Mighty, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and The Green Mile. He played the manipulative leader in Big Love from 2006 to 2010. In 2012 he appeared in The Avengers as the security guard who finds Bruce Banner after he’d fallen from the helicarrier. Stanton appeared in the Twin Peaks revival recently and his final role in Frank and Ava is due this year.