Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from stunt performer to star of film such as Cocoon and The Natural, has died. He was 85.
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Brimley's manager Lynda Bensky said the actor died on Saturday morning in a Utah hospital. He was on dialysis and had several medical ailments.
The moustachioed Brimley was a familiar face for a number of roles, often playing gruff characters like his grizzled baseball manager in The Natural.
Brimley's best-known work was in Cocoon, in which he was part of a group of seniors who discover an alien pod that rejuvenates them. The 1985 Ron Howard film won two Oscars, including a supporting actor honour for Don Ameche.
Brimley also starred in Cocoon: The Return, a 1988 sequel.
For years he was pitchman for Quaker Oats in ther US and in recent years appeared in a series of diabetes spots that turned him at one point into a social media sensation.
"Wilford Brimley was a man you could trust," Bensky said in a statement.
"He said what he meant and he meant what he said. He had a tough exterior and a tender heart. I'm sad that I will no longer get to hear my friend's wonderful stories. He was one of a kind."
Though never nominated for an Oscar or Emmy Award, Brimley amassed an impressive list of credits. In 1993's John Grisham adaptation The Firm, Brimley starred opposite Tom Cruise as a tough-nosed investigator who deployed ruthless tactics to keep his law firm's secrets safe.
A Utah native, Brimley's Hollywood career started in the late 1960s as a stuntman, where he forged a friendship with Robert Duvall.
Duvall's encouragement led Brimley to seek more prominent acting roles and his career took off after his appearance in 1979's The China Syndrome, according to a biography prepared by Turner Classic Movies.
Brimley had a recurring role as a blacksmith on The Waltons and the 1980s prime-time series Our House.
He is survived by is wife Beverly and three sons.
Australian Associated Press