Latest news with #3rdRockfromtheSun
Metro
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Chucky and Child's Play actor Ed Gale dies age 61
It has been announced that Ed Gale, best known for his numerous roles in horror movies, has died at the age of 61. The stunt performer and actor with dwarfism is best known for playing Chucky in the horror franchise Child's Play and the lead character in the 1986 Marvel superhero comedy Howard the Duck. He also appeared in various TV shows, including Land of the Lost as Tasha and Magas, plus in guest roles in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and 3rd Rock from the Sun. Gale's niece announced his passing on Facebook, highlighting his important role in her life as a 'fun uncle'. 'It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle, Official: Ed Gale, Actor – retired, Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife.' 'Ed hitched a ride to California when he was twenty years old, with $41 and a dream, and he never looked back. 'He lit up the silver screens in cult classic films like Howard the Duck and Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, earning himself some serious street cred at every con he attended. Which he never stopped bragging about. Ever. More Trending 'Over the course of his career, he appeared in over 130 movies, TV shows, and commercials. With this wide-ranging body of work, he leaves behind legacy full of questionable lighting and amazing one-liners.' 'Ed's favorite role was that of the 'fun uncle.' His love language was sharing his love of the entertainment industry and the magic of Hollywood with his nieces.' She spoke about some of her memories with him and joked that he was a 'cranky b*****d and will be very missed. The message did not mention how the actor passed or give details about his funeral arrangements. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Kool & the Gang legend Michael Sumler dies 'in car crash' aged 71 MORE: Hollyoaks star Paul Danan's death at 46 ruled misadventure MORE: Grammy-winning 70s rock guitarist Rick Derringer dies aged 77
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
John Lithgow reflects on 'special relationship' with U.K. after winning Olivier Award
John Lithgow reflected on his "special relationship" with the U.K. after winning an Olivier Award on Sunday night. During the ceremony held at Royal Albert Hall in London, the American star was presented with the prize for Best Actor for his performance as Roald Dahl in the West End production of Giant. Taking to the stage, Lithgow described taking on the role of the legendary author to be one of the "best experiences I have ever had on stage". "I want to thank all of you for welcoming me and my wife Mary (Yeager) so thoroughly to England," the 79-year-old said, before appearing to reference U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on British exports to the U.S. "It's not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment, it's obviously a little more complicated than usual. But for me, for Mary, and for all of our countrymen and countrywomen, I want to assure you that the special relationship is still firmly intact." Lithgow is set to stay in the U.K. for an extended period of time, with Giant returning to the Harold Pinter Theatre later this month. The 3rd Rock from the Sun actor has also signed up to play Professor Dumbledore in the upcoming TV series based on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Elsewhere, Elliot Levey picked up his second Olivier Award, securing Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Giant, and writer Mark Rosenblatt received The Londoner Award for Best New Play for his work developing the project. The other big winner on the night was Lesley Manville, who scored Best Actress for her role in Oedipus. "I knew on day one of this play that we were on to something good," she told the crowd. In addition, Romola Garai won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Years, while the show's director, Eline Arbo, collected the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director.
The Guardian
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Olivier winner John Lithgow attacks Trump's second presidency as ‘a disaster' for US arts
The actor John Lithgow has described Donald Trump's second presidency as 'a pure disaster' for the arts in the US. Lithgow, speaking after his best actor victory at the Olivier awards in London on Sunday, singled out Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center, Washington DC's national institution for the performing arts. 'Our administration has done some shocking, destructive things,' he said, 'but the one that grieves me most is taking over the Kennedy Center.' The US president is now chair of the prestigious cultural complex (which was founded as a government-funded, bipartisan venue) and has installed new board members and a new interim leader, loyalist Ric Grenell. The board had been in the process of selecting a successor to outgoing leader Deborah Rutter, who in January announced her intention to step down after 11 years. 'Deborah Rutter was fired from her position as president – even though she'd already resigned and had [several] months to go,' said Lithgow. 'She's a very good friend of mine. We co-chaired a commission on the arts [launched by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2018] and spent three years finding out the state of the arts in America [was] in crisis. Well, it's really in crisis now. First there was coronavirus, now there's this.' Lithgow was named best actor at the Oliviers for his performance as Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt's play Giant, which ran at the Royal Court last year and transfers to the West End later this month. In his acceptance speech, the actor – best known for the TV comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun – said that this moment was 'more complicated than usual' for relations between the US and the UK but that he personally felt the special relationship was 'intact'. Lithgow described himself as 'a curious kind of hybrid Englishman', reflecting on the films and TV series he has made in the UK and his stage appearances, which have included Twelfth Night with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2007 and The Magistrate at the National Theatre in 2012. 'I grew up with Shakespeare,' he said. 'My father was a producer of Shakespeare festivals in Ohio. He was a regional theatre artistic director. I was in 20 Shakespeare plays by the time I was 20 years old … I came over and went to Lamda [the London drama school] after my college years. When I returned, everyone thought I was English … My sister said to me: 'I'm not going to talk to you until you stop talking in that pretentious English accent!'' While assessing the current climate for the arts in the US as 'a pure disaster – really disheartening', Lithgow said that 'it gives us all something to fight for and I think the arts are animated by that. Right now, everybody is in shock.' Once that shock has passed, he acknowledged that 'bad times create good art'.
CNN
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
John Lithgow says his time on ‘3rd Rock from the Sun' were his ‘happiest years as an actor'
Oscar-nominated actor John Lithgow, who has portrayed everyone from Winston Churchill to a Cardinal at the Vatican, apparently really misses his days playing an alien. According to Lithgow, his time playing Dick Solomon on the NBC comedy '3rd Rock from the Sun' are years he remembers fondly. 'It was the six happiest years as an actor,' Lithgow said on Monday's episode of the 'Smartless' podcast. 'Just interacting with this great writing staff, the '3rd Rock' staff was so terrific and it was so inane.' On the sitcom, Lithgow played the high commander of an alien expedition who lands on Earth with his alien cohorts posing as a family. It was a concept that he described as 'flat out nutball farce' and something Lithgow never thought he would do. In fact, Lithgow admitted that when the showrunners initially pitched him the idea for the show, he thought, 'how do I say 'no' to this fast enough?' It only took five minutes for the show to make sense to him, he said, adding that once he heard the full concept, 'it just seemed, suddenly, like 'What in the world have I been waiting for?'' '3rd Rock' debuted on NBC in 1996 and ran until 2001. Jane Curtin, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Kristen Johnston and French Stewart rounded out the cast. The series quickly became a hit and developed a cult following, something that Lithgow said he and his castmates had a feeling would happen before any of the 13 episodes they'd shot aired. 'We had realized, oh my God, we really have something here,' he said. 'We felt like we had the hope diamond in our pocket.' Lithgow most recently appeared in 'Conclave,' which was nominated for best picture at the Oscars earlier this month. He also spoke about preparing to play Dumbledore in HBO's upcoming 'Harry Potter' TV series during Monday's podcast.
CNN
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
John Lithgow says his time on ‘3rd Rock from the Sun' were his ‘happiest years as an actor'
Oscar-nominated actor John Lithgow, who has portrayed everyone from Winston Churchill to a Cardinal at the Vatican, apparently really misses his days playing an alien. According to Lithgow, his time playing Dick Solomon on the NBC comedy '3rd Rock from the Sun' are years he remembers fondly. 'It was the six happiest years as an actor,' Lithgow said on Monday's episode of the 'Smartless' podcast. 'Just interacting with this great writing staff, the '3rd Rock' staff was so terrific and it was so inane.' On the sitcom, Lithgow played the high commander of an alien expedition who lands on Earth with his alien cohorts posing as a family. It was a concept that he described as 'flat out nutball farce' and something Lithgow never thought he would do. In fact, Lithgow admitted that when the showrunners initially pitched him the idea for the show, he thought, 'how do I say 'no' to this fast enough?' It only took five minutes for the show to make sense to him, he said, adding that once he heard the full concept, 'it just seemed, suddenly, like 'What in the world have I been waiting for?'' '3rd Rock' debuted on NBC in 1996 and ran until 2001. Jane Curtin, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Kristen Johnston and French Stewart rounded out the cast. The series quickly became a hit and developed a cult following, something that Lithgow said he and his castmates had a feeling would happen before any of the 13 episodes they'd shot aired. 'We had realized, oh my God, we really have something here,' he said. 'We felt like we had the hope diamond in our pocket.' Lithgow most recently appeared in 'Conclave,' which was nominated for best picture at the Oscars earlier this month. He also spoke about preparing to play Dumbledore in HBO's upcoming 'Harry Potter' TV series during Monday's podcast.
