“It’s Frankenstein, guys. He’s our friend.”
We have extremely sad news to report today as actor Tom Noonan has passed away at the age of 74, according to a report on Deadline.
Genre fans will of course remember Noonan from such big screen roles as Dr. Carl Ferguson in Wolfen, Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter, Cain/RoboCain in RoboCop 2, Joshua Taft in Eight Legged Freaks, Mr. Ulman in The House of the Devil, and Father Smith in Late Phases. Noonan might best be known to horror fans for his role as Frankenstein’s Monster in The Monster Squad.
Fred Dekker, director of 1987’s The Monster Squad took to Facebook to say “Tom’s indelible performance as Frankenstein in The Monster Squad is a highlight of my modest filmography. Having been knocked out by his performance as Francis Dollarhyde in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, I desperately wanted Tom to read the script and consider the part, but I knew that nabbing him was probably a long shot. Nonetheless, he agreed to meet me at his Hollywood apartment to discuss the role. I knew the first thing a serious actor would want to know was that my vision for Frankenstein was serious and not ‘campy.’..In the end, he found the make-up ardous and annoying (he was fond of tearing it off after we wrapped, and one night didn’t even bother to take it off; just drove home in his Frankenstein appliance). But all in all, he was the proverbial gentleman and scholar, and the world has lost a great talent. R.I.P. Tom. Thanks for the great work.”
Noonan also appeared in horror shows on the small screen including Tales from the Darkside, Monsters, The X-Files, and 12 Monkeys.
The staff of Horror News Network send our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Noonan.
