Yahoo Lifestyle Tony Todd, ‘Candyman’ and ‘Final Destination’ Star, Dies at 69
Tony Todd, an American actor known for leading the “Candyman” horror franchise as its eponymous hook-wielding ghost, died Wednesday at his home in Marina Del Rey, Calif. He was 69.
Todd’s death was confirmed by a representative for the actor. A cause of death was not disclosed.
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A reliable presence in genre fare across four decades, Todd’s series of credits include iconic titles such as Alex Proyas’ landmark comic book adaptation “The Crow,” Michael Bay’s Alcatraz actioner “The Rock” and the elaborate killing set-piece series “Final Destination.” His debut film performance came at the age of 32 in Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning war epic “Platoon.” On “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Todd donned make-up to play Kurn, a Commander in the Klingon Defense Force and the brother of Worf (played by series regular Michael Dorn).
But Todd secured his name in the genre pantheon with his performance in director Bernard Rose’s “Candyman,” an early-’90s Americanized spin on Clive Barker that offered an iconoclastic and supernatural approach to themes of gentrification and racism. Todd played Daniel Robitaille, aka Candyman, the ghost of an African American artist and son of a slave who was murdered for his relationship with a white woman. The film starred Virginia Madsen as a Chicago graduate student preparing a thesis on the legend of Candyman by investigating inner-city Chicago.
“Candyman” positioned itself as an artier genre play at the time, debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Midnight Madness section. Its handling of serious themes did not go unquestioned at the time, with some levying accusations of racist stereotypes, but the film has endured in critical and genre circles for its unblinking approach to serious themes, connecting America’s history of racism to the woes of contemporary urban life.
As the sympathetic slasher, Todd reprised his role as Candyman as a horror franchise was born. He returned for the 1995 sequel “Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh” (which marked the debut feature for Oscar-nominee Bill Condon), as well as Turi Meyer’s “Candyman: Day of the Dead” in 1999. After decades in development, the property was revived at Universal by director Nia DaCosta in 2021 with the simply titled “Candyman,” which functioned as a direct sequel to the 1992 original and was co-written by DaCosta, Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld. Todd reprised his role in the new entry, which starred Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an artist who becomes drawn into the Candyman legend.
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