Lanny Flaherty has died at the age of 81.
The veteran actor, who was famed for his roles in Men In Black 3 and Natural Born Killers, passed away on February 18. Lanny’s death was confirmed by his longtime manager Tony Cloer.
Lanny’s cause of death is currently unconfirmed, although some reports suggested he died from complications from surgery. While Men In Black 3 and Natural Born Killers were undoubtedly his most recognisable roles, he also starred in Lonesome Dove, Book of Shadows, Blair Witch 2 and Signs.
Other film appearances includes Winter People, Millers Crossing, Blood In Blood Out, Tom Huck and Home Fries. He also had a number of guest television appearances, starring on The Equalizer, New York News and White Collar.
Flaherty also had a two-episode stint on The Education of Max Bickford as Whammo. He also treaded the boards, starring in a number of Broadway plays.
The actor was born in Pontotoc, Mississipi on July 27, 1942. Ahead of his career in acting, Flaherty served in the United States Army in the 1970s, ahead of attending Mississippi State University and Southern Methodist University, where he studied acting and playwriting.
After getting his higher education, Flaherty moved to New York and landed a part in Broadway’s revival of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.
For the rest of his life, the actor alternated his time between New York and his birthplace, Mississippi. He went on to appear in a number of other plays, including: Sweet Bird of Youth, Inherit the Wind, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Requiem for a Heavyweight.
He also starred in a number of theatre productions at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Steppenwolf Theatre. He also wrote numerous plays, such as A-Birthing at Nubbin Ridge, Cedars Mark The Campground, Crisscrosscreeks, and Whilhom.
Legendary actor and Oscar winner Henry Fonda starred in Flaherty’s 1981 production, Showdown at the Adobe Model, which was presented at the Hartford Stage in 1981.
