Tony Todd, the prolific actor who brought an evil presence to the horror movie franchises Candyman and Final Destination, has died at the age of 69.
Todd’s rep confirmed the actor’s death to Variety, adding that he died Wednesday at his home in Marina Del Rey, California. No cause of death was provided.
Over a career that spanned five decades, Todd accrued hundreds of on-screen and voice-acting credits, beginning with a role in the 1986 Vietnam War classic Platoon. Following a leading turn in the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, Todd spent three seasons on Star Trek: The Next Generation portraying the character Kurn, the brother of the series’ Klingon crew member Worf; Todd would also reprise the role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
In 1992, Todd landed what would become one of his most enduring roles, as the titular hook-handed urban legend-turned-killer in Candyman, a character he would also play in a pair of Nineties sequels, and returned to the role in the Jordan Peele-produced 2021 revival of the series.
Virginia Madsen, who starred alongside Todd in Candyman, wrote on social media Friday following news of the actor’s death, “A truly poetic man. A voice that made it easy to swoon. Thanks to Bernard Rose, we really created a gothic romance. It’s why the film lives on. A gentle soul with a deep knowledge of the arts. He enjoyed the fans and was never shy when it came to fans approaching, wanting photos. A rare actor who allowed himself to be open to the public attention.”
His horror movie bonafides established, Todd was also cast as funeral director William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise, appearing in three of those films, including 2000’s Final Destination and 2003’s Final Destination 2; posthumously, Todd will reprise the character in a reboot of the franchise that’s scheduled for 2025.
On the big screen, Todd also appeared in Lean on Me, The Crow, the Alcatraz-set action film The Rock, the slasher flick Hatchet, and the cult crime drama Sushi Girl. Television roles include stints on The X-Files, Homicide: Life on the Streets, 24, Chuck, The Event, and Splatter.
Todd was also an in-demand voice actor, lending his unique voice to animated films, action movies, and video games: He voiced the villains “The Fallen” in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Darkseid in a number of DC Comics cartoons, and most recently Venom in the video game Spider-Man 2.