Sad news is coming in today for us to pass along to you as veteran actorKevin Conway, known for his many acting roles including memorable parts inFunny Farm,Oz, andGettysburg, has reportedly passed away. According to his publicist, Conway died of a heart attack on Wednesday, but the other circumstances surrounding his passing haven’t yet been made clear. He was 77 years old.
Born in 1942 in New York City, Conway worked in sales before pursuing an acting career at the age of 24. Training at the HB Studio, Conway honed his craft working on stage, appearing in the off-Broadway productions ofOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,The Elephant Man, andWhen You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?. On Broadway, he appeared opposite James Earl Jones inOf Mice and Menand also starred in live productions ofIndians,Moonchildren, andDinner at Eight. Of course, Conway’s talent exhibited on the stage led to his career working in movies and television as well, eventually bringing dozens of performances to both the big and small screens.
Conway’s first major movie role came in 1972 when he appeared in the sci-fi movieSlaughterhouse-Five. A plethora of other movie roles would follow in the coming decades, notably including his roles as the insane mailman in the 1988 comedyFunny Farmand as Buster Kilrain inGettysburg. Among many other credits, some other great movie roles for Conway includes parts in movies likeInvincible,Thirteen Days,The Quick and the Dead, andBlack Knight. Conway’s movie work also included a stint as a director, as the actor also helmed the 1987 movieThe Sun and the Moon.
During the course of his career, Conway worked a lot on television as well. He also served as the Control Voice on the rebootedOuter Limitsfrom 1995 to 2002. Other recurring roles saw Conway as Jonas Stern on the political dramaThe Good Wifeand as the abusive father of Ryan and Cyril O’Reily on the HBO prison seriesOz. Conway also appeared in notable guest roles on shows likeStar Trek: The Next Generation,JAG,Law and Order: Criminal Intent,Homicide: Life on the Street, andThe Black Donnellys. He is also known for his acclaimed role as Roger Chillingworth in the television movieThe Scarlet Letter, a role which was later taken over by Robert Duvall.
More recently, Conway had been working as a narrator, providing his voice for shows likePrairie Dog Manor,Unmasked, andWho Killed Jane Doe?. A veteran of the stage and both the big and small screens, Hollywood has lost another fantastic performer with the passing of Conway. Wherever you remember him from the best, chances are you really enjoyed his work as an actor. Always a fantastic performer, every role played by Conway is memorable in its own way, and these movie and TV roles will keep his legacy alive forever.Our condolencesgo to the family and close friends of Conway at this time. This news comes to us fromDeadline.
