Tony Todd, “Candyman” and “Final Destination” star, dies at 69

The prolific actor's career also extended to the dramas "Platoon" and "The Crow" and the series "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "The X-Files," and "Beverly Hills, 90210."

Tony Todd, the prolific character actor best known for his work in the Candyman and Final Destination horror films, has died at 69.

The beloved performer died at his home in Los Angeles on Nov. 6, his manager Jeffrey Goldberg told Entertainment Weekly. "I regretfully can confirm that my dear friend and client of over 30 years Tony Todd has passed away," Goldberg said. "What an amazing man, and I will miss him every single day."

"This is devastating," Nia DaCosta, who directed Todd in the 2021 sequel Candyman, told EW in a statement. "Tony was an incredibly warm, generous, and thoughtful person, who was so passionate about his work, especially embodying Candyman. It was an honor to work with him, even briefly, and a memory I'll always hold dear. We’ve lost an icon, and way too young, but like any true icon, his work will stay with us forever."

Colman Domingo, who starred alongside Todd in DaCosta's Candyman, posted a photo of the late actor on his Instagram story with the caption, "Thank you, Candyman."

"Vale Tony Todd — heartbreaking — such a beautiful soul," Alex Proyas, who directed Todd in The Crow, wrote on Facebook Friday night.

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Born in December 1954 in Washington, D.C., and raised in Hartford, Todd studied at the University of Connecticut, the Eugene O'Neill National Actors Theatre Institute, the Hartman Conservatory, and the Trinity Repertory Company as he honed his craft.

Todd's first film was Oliver Stone's 1986 Best Picture–winning war drama, Platoon, in which he portrayed a sergeant, with a cast that also included Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, and Johnny Depp. It was here that Todd first shared the screen with Forest Whitaker, whom he considered a good friend and with whom he starred in Clint Eastwood's 1988 jazz biopic, Bird, and the 1990 TV movie Criminal Justice.

After appearing in episodes of shows like 21 Jump Street and MacGyver in the late 1980s and playing a supporting role in the 1989 movie Lean on Me, Todd scored his first major leading screen role in the 1990 remake of the zombie classic Night of the Living Dead. The film kicked off a decade of wide-ranging work for the actor, including key guest turns on the Star Trek series The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, appearances on shows like The X-Files and Beverly Hills, 90210, and supporting roles in films like The Crow and Michael Bay's The Rock.

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Todd's most memorable role came in 1992, when he played the titular malevolent entity in 1992's Candyman, the seminal horror film based on a short story by Clive Barker. Todd's performance toed the line between malicious and seductive, fully weaponizing his booming voice and towering 6-foot-5 stature, and featuring him with a hook for a hand and a belly full of bees, creating a horror icon for the ages. Todd reprised the role in 1995's Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, 1999's Candyman: Day of the Dead, and 2021's Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and written and produced by Jordan Peele.

The actor landed his second lasting horror role in Final Destination at the turn of the century, portraying mortician William Bludworth, an authoritative expert in the rule of Death who helps explain key information about the main characters' fates. Todd reprised the role in Final Destination 2 in 2003 and Final Destination 5 in 2011, and completed filming on the forthcoming Final Destination: Bloodlines, set for release next year.

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Throughout the 2000s, Todd appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, scoring a recurring role on 24 and guest appearances on Riverdale, Charmed, and Boston Public. Todd also leaned into his vocal talents extensively in his later career, providing the voice of the Fallen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and lending it to a number of animated projects and video games like Young Justice, Transformers Prime, and the acclaimed PS5 game Spider-Man 2.

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