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Ed Gale, Actor Who Played 'Chucky' In 3 Films, Dead At 61
Ed Gale, an actor and stuntman who was most famous for being the physical performer of Chucky, the evil doll that was the namesake of the Chucky horror franchise, died earlier this week at the age of 61.
His niece, Kayse Gale, announced his death Tuesday on Facebook. The cause of death was not revealed. TMZ reported that the actor died while in hospice.
Kayse Gale celebrated her uncle, who was born with dwarfism, by cheekily beginning her post, '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.'
Kayse Gale also noted that Ed Gale ventured out to Hollywood when he was 20 with only $41 in his pocket, but ended up lighting up the silver screen in cult classic films like 1986's 'Howard the Duck' and 1989's 'Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town.'
She said appearing in cult films earned Ed Gale 'some serious street cred at every con he attended' and added, 'which he never stopped bragging about. Ever.'
TMZ said that at the time of Gale's death, he was under investigation for allegedly attempting to solicit sex from minor boys.
People noted that Gale admitted to soliciting minors for sex to a group called Creep Catchers Unit in April 2023. The LA County District Attorney's office told the publication that one case was referred to the LA City Attorney's Office in September 2023 for a possible misdemeanor filing.
Ed Gale's first big role in Hollywood was wearing the suit for the title character in 'Howard the Duck,' while actor Chip Zien supplied the character's voice.
He did a similar split role in 1988's 'Child's Play,' the film that first introduced the now-iconic Chucky character to film fans. He worked the costume while actor Brad Dourif supplied the voice.
His role in the series helped define the character, 'Child's Play' director Tom Holland told People.
'Ed was a pleasure to work with on 'Child's Play' and played an important role in helping me sell the action of Chucky and thus a reason to fear Chucky,' Holland said. 'Ed was always ready to go when I called action.'
Ed Gale went on to play Chucky in two other films in the franchise. and also appeared in films and TV shows like 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?,' 'Baywatch,' '3rd Rock From the Sun,' 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey' and 'Friday the 13th: The Series.'
His last acting role was portraying an artist in the 2020 film 'Pandemonic,' and he also was interviewed for a 2022 science fiction documentary, 'In Search of Tomorrow.'
