Beloved character actor Ned Beatty, who made his film debut in 1972’s “Deliverance” and delivered memorable performances in classics like 1976’s “Network” and 1978’s “Superman,” died on Sunday at age 83.
“Ned passed away from natural causes Sunday morning, surrounded by his family and loved ones,” Beatty’s manager, Deborah Miller, said in a statement provided to TheWrap. “His family has decided to keep details private at this time. Ned was an iconic, legendary talent, as well as a dear friend, and he will be missed by us all.”
Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1937, Beatty got his start as an actor in regional theater in the South in the 1960s before making his film debut in John Boorman’s 1972 film “Deliverance” as an Atlanta businessman on a canoe trip with three buddies who gets humiliated — and raped — by two Georgia mountainmen.