Tom Noonan, 'Manhunter' character actor who also wrote and directed films, dies at 74

Tom Noonan, a quality histrion and filmmaker known for playing villains successful “Manhunter” and “The Last Action Hero,” died connected Valentine’s Day. He was 74.

The decease was confirmed by Fred Dekker, manager of “The Monster Squad,” who wrote connected Facebook, “Tom’s indelible show arsenic Frankenstein ... is simply a item of my humble filmography.”

Noonan had a astir 40-year vocation connected TV and successful film, making his people with a relation successful “Manhunter,” the 1986 movie based connected a Thomas Harris novel.

In “Manhunter,” which starred William Peterson of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” arsenic an FBI cause and “Succession” prima Brian Cox arsenic Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Noonan played Francis Dolarhyde, the serial slayer besides known arsenic the Tooth Fairy. It was a show that “knocked out” Dekker, who past pursued Noonan for “Monster Squad.”

Playing a slayer wasn’t antithetic for Noonan, who stood 6-foot-5 oregon 6-foot-6, depending connected who you trust. On a 2013 occurrence of TV’s “The Blacklist,” helium played “the Stewmaker,” a antheral with a sensation for dissolving quality bodies successful acid. In the 1993 drama “The Last Action Hero” helium was the Ripper, a fictional nemesis who comes to beingness successful the high-concept film-within-a-film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger arsenic enactment prima Jack Slater.

Born successful Greenwich, Conn., connected April 12, 1951, Noonan was raised by his math-teacher parent Rita and a ample extended household aft the decease of his father, John Ford Noonan Sr. He went to schoolhouse astatine Yale Drama and aboriginal founded New York’s Paradise Factory theatre with Jack Kruger astatine the tract of the Paradise Ice Cream Factory, wherever the crystal pick cone was invented. The 2 built a theatre and rehearsal rooms wherever the condemned gathering stood.

Paradise Factory present bills itself arsenic “bringing the rigor of theatrical subject to the process of cinematic art, and bringing the intimacy and immediacy of the cinema into theatrical show art.”

“I privation I had much occurrence arsenic an actor,” the New York-based histrion told The Times with a dash of melancholy successful 2015. “I deliberation radical telephone maine due to the fact that they’re transmission surfing precocious astatine nighttime and they spot maine successful a movie connected cable.”

In that story, astir the histrion and his person and collaborator Charlie Kaufman and Kaufman’s stop-motion animation movie “Anomalisa,” a Times unit writer described Noonan: “Like Kaufman, helium has a acheronian worldview, an idiosyncratic sensibility, blackly comic thoughts and, astatine times, an endearing crankiness.”

In “Anomalisa,” Noonan was credited with playing “Everyone Else” — and that wasn’t an exaggeration. Jennifer Jason Leigh and David Thewlis played the leads; Noonan voiced much than 40 different roles successful the film.

“Even I can’t archer if it’s maine sometimes,” helium told The Times successful 2015 astir the extended studio-recording process. “I mean, I admit the voice, but I’m not definite wherever it came from.”

“My archetypal TV interrogation was with Tom Noonan for a section NYC amusement called MIDDAY(?),” histrion Jerry O’Connell wrote aboriginal Wednesday connected Instagram, including a blurry representation of them connected the show’s set. “I was truthful nervous. Tom was truthful kind. I saw him successful each (NYC) play helium was successful after. He bought my member and I tickets to Eddie Murphy’s RAW (we were excessively young to purchase). Btw, connected this episode, I was talking astir a movie astir to travel retired (Stand By Me) and Mr. Noonan was talking astir his movie (Manhunter). Rest In Peace LEGEND.”

Noonan appeared successful the celebrated 1980 flop “Heaven’s Gate” and formed a creepy gothic shadiness decades aboriginal successful “The House of the Devil” (2009). He was a ghoulish big of a late-night tv fearfulness programme successful the 2005 vampire movie “The Roost,” past played a wagon-train missionary successful the 2007 occidental “Seraphim Falls.”

“Robocop 2” (1990) had Noonan arsenic Cain, a messianic maniac with a chemoreceptor ringing who leads a pack of violent dope dealers.

In 18 episodes of the bid “Hell connected Wheels,” which ran for 5 seasons connected AMC, helium was the Rev. Nathaniel Cole. Other TV credits included episodes of Fox’s “The X-Files,” HBO’s “The Leftovers,” CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and the Louis C.K. bid “Louie” (FX) and “Horace and Pete.”

Noonan’s half-dozen directing credits see the 1994 movie “What Happened Was ...,” which was produced arsenic a play, past became a movie and past won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for melodramatic feature. In summation to penning and directing the movie, Noonan played the pb antheral relation other histrion Karen Sillas. Noonan besides won Sundance’s Waldo Salt screenwriting grant for the script.

The adjacent year, his diagnostic “The Wife” — a acheronian drama erstwhile again written, directed by and starring Noonan — was a nominee for the aforesaid Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Described by the New York Times arsenic a “bleakly comic evisceration of modern marriage,” the movie co-starred Karen Young, who was Noonan’s woman from 1992 to 1999.

And Noonan’s 2015 movie “The Shape of Something Squashed” was calved retired of disorder and immoderate despair aft his cause called him with what initially looked similar a portion successful 1 of the “Mockingjay” installments of “The Hunger Games” franchise. When helium got the script, though, helium saw lone 1 relation for idiosyncratic his age, and that occupation — playing President Snow — already belonged to Donald Sutherland.

Turns retired determination ne'er had been a portion successful the offing. Sutherland was conscionable busy, and Jennifer Lawrence and the remainder of the “Hunger Games” formed needed idiosyncratic to rehearse with them for a week.

After recovering from a little affectional tailspin, Noonan knocked retired the publication for “The Shape of Something Squashed” — past directed and acted successful the film.

He was preceded successful decease by his older brother, “A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking” playwright John Ford Noonan Jr., who died successful 2018 astatine property 77.

Former Times unit writer Steve Zeitchik contributed to this report.