Brian Dennehy Remembered by Sylvester Stallone, Lin-Manuel Miranda and More: ‘A Colossus’

“There is no one I enjoyed working with more,” tweeted Mia Farrow

Brian Dennehy
Photo credit: Getty Images

After Brian Dennehy, the Golden Globe- and Tony Award-winning actor who appeared in big-screen hits like “Rambo” and “Tommy Boy,” died late Wednesday at the age of 81, he was remembered by his colleagues in the entertainment industry as “a colossus” and “a tremendous actor.”

Sylvester Stallone, who starred with Dennehy in “Rambo,” honored the actor for helping him create the title character that became such an icon.

“Was lucky enough to see Brian Dennehy twice on stage, masterful in Love Letters, and monumentally heartbreaking in Death Of A Salesman. A colossus. What a loss,” tweeted playwright and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“He was truly a tremendous actor and his passing is such a terrible loss,” tweeted actress Marlee Matlin.

https://twitter.com/MarleeMatlin/status/1250842894178693121

“Any actor who worked with Brian, can tell you how lucky we were. There was no-one more present, truthful or generous to be in a scene with. Broadway, the movies and TV have lost an irreplaceable giant,” tweeted Mia Farrow, who performed with Dennehy in “Love Letters.”

“I met Brian in a bar, acted in a movie with him but the stage was what he loved. In rehearsal he said, “This is it, kid.” He was a fellow nutmegger, mick and a Marine. They don’t make his kind anymore,” tweeted Dana Delany.

“For those who never got to see Brian’s towering performance in “Death of A Salesman,” it will go down as one of the crowing performances ever delivered in a stage,” tweeted Josh Gad.

Dennehy died of natural causes, according to his family, who was by his side. Best known for playing the overzealous Sheriff Will Teasle in “First Blood” (1982) opposite Sylvester Stallone, Dennehy went on to have a prolific acting career that included roles in such films as “Gorky Park” (1983), “Silverado” (1985), “Cocoon” (1985), “F/X”(1986), “Presumed Innocent” (1990), “Romeo + Juliet” (1996) and “Knight of Cups” (2015).

Dennehy was a fixture on the stage as well, winning two Tony Awards. He first won in 2000 for playing Willy Loman in a revival of “Death of a Salesman” — a role that earned him a SAG Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for a subsequent filmed version.

See more tributes to the late actor below.

Umberto Gonzalez

Umberto has been covering the fanboy beat & breaking scoops for 20 years with numerous Hollywood trade, newspaper, & magazine mentions to his credit. Umberto has been profiled in such publications as The Washington Post, Variety and Grantland.

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