Actor Tom Noonan dies at 75

Actor Tom Noonan, best known for roles in Manhunter and The Monster Squad, died February 14 at 74. No details have been made available except that he died peacefully.

Noonan's career began on stage in the 1978 Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard's Buried Child, but Noonan quickly transitioned to film with indelible performances in many popular films, his first three with some heavy-hitting directors: Paul Mazursky's Willie & Phil (1980), John Cassavetes' Gloria (1980), Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1980). He followed those with roles in Wolfen, Eddie Macon's Run, Easy Money, Best Defense, The Man with One Red Shoe, and F/X.

Noonan's film career blasted off in 1986 with his performance as Francis Dollarhyde in Michael Mann's Manhunter, an adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon, opposite William Petersen and Brian Cox (playing Dr. Hannibal Lecktor). Noonan is said to have stayed in character as the serial killer during production and stayed away from the actors playing his pursuers. While the film was not a critical success, Noonan's performance caught the attention of director Fred Dekker, who knew he needed Noonan to play the Frankenstein Monster in his upcoming film, The Monster Squad. Noonan agreed to meet with Dekker, and would only take the role if the portrayal was serious instead of campy. Noonan hated the arduous make-up process (one night he even drove home in it instead of removing it), but in the end he gave an iconic portrayal, imbuing the Monster with great humanity and sensitivity, with Dekker calling the performance a highlight of his directorial filmography.

Noonan would become a favorite for character parts with credits including Collision Course, Mystery Train, RoboCop 2, Last Action Hero, Heat, The Astronaut's Wife, The Pledge, Knockaround Guys, Eight Legged Freaks, Synecdoche, New York, The House of the Devil, and Night of the Wolf.

Noonan also appeared on many television series and TV movies including Rage!, Tales from the Darkside, The Equalizer, Monsters, North and South: Book 3, Early Edition, The X-Files, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order: SVU, The Cape, Damages, The Blacklist, The Leftovers, Hell on Wheels, Dimension 404 and 12 Monkeys. His final performance was the voice of Phil's dad on the animated series Animals.

Noonan was also a playwright, with What Happened Was..., Wifey and Wang Dang among his credits. In 1994, he adapted What Happened Was... for film, as star, writer, director, editor and composer, opposite Karen Silas.

Noonan was married to Karen Young from 1992 to 1999, and his brother John Ford Noonan, also a playwright, died in 2018.