Monday, February 27, 2006
Dennis Weaver (1924-2006)
How about this for a weird loop — Dennis Weaver introduced Rance Howard to his wife, which led to Ron Howard who worked with Don Knotts on The Andy Griffith Show who worked with Darren McGavin in Gus and No Deposit, No Return.
Weaver is primarily known for his work in western-type roles in movies and in television, most notably Gunsmoke and McCloud. However, a few features stand out, though one was originally made for TV.
Throughout the 1950s, Weaver bounced through many a lesser Western, though he did get a bit as the hotel manager in Orson Welles' Touch of Evil.
A 1971 TV movie he made put its director on the map — Weaver was the terrorized motorist at the mercy of a psychotic semi in Steven Spielberg's Duel.
His most recent feature work was a voice in the animated feature Home on the Range.
His work on the small screen though is astounding in terms of series, miniseries and movies. He even supplied a voice for The Simpsons in 2002.
RIP Dennis Weaver
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Labels: Animation, Obituary, Spielberg, Television, The Simpsons, Welles
