Published at: Feb. 27, 2006, 2:09 p.m. CST by staff
Hey guys. Quint here with yet another sad story for you. Dennis Weaver passed away over the weekend from complications due to cancer.
He was well known for playing sidekick Chester Goode in the '60s TV series GUNSMOKE and he went on to play the title role in McCloud in the '70s.
His film work had him working with Orson Welles in 1958's TOUCH OF EVIL where he had a small role as the motel manager. It was his work in this role that prompted Steven Spielberg to cast him in his breakout TV movie, DUEL, based on a story by Richard Matheson about a man who is behing hunted on America's highways by a large, ominous truck. I'll always remember him as the lead in DUEL. He played it very conservatively... as a sort of stick-up-the-butt dude thrown into this unbelievable circumstance. I got to watch him slowly fall back to his basic programing, watch the survival instinct bubble up and overtake his civilized shell. He was fantastic in that film.
In his career he locked in over 100 credits, including behind the scenes work like cinematographer and composer. My thoughts are with his friends, family and fans.
