Sad news to report as 2016 has robbed us of another legend. Character actor Fritz Weaver has died at the tender old age of 90 in Manhattan.
For horror fans, Weaver is most likely immediately linked with his role in George A. Romero’s CREEPSHOW, in which he played Dexter Stanley, the professor who discovers “Fluffy” the crate monster in the film’s fourth segment. Weaver had ample experience in genre anthologies, however. He starred in two memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone (The Obsolete Man and Third from the Sun), while in the 80s he appeared in Tales from the Darkside (in the uber-creepy Inside the Closet – see a clip below – and Comet Watch), Monsters, and Friday the 13th: The Series. 90s kids may have seen him pop up in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and The X-Files. All told, his IMDb page claims Weaver has 138 credits in film and television; an impressive filmography to be sure.
As Deadline notes, Weaver was also a very accomplished stage actor. He is survived by his wife, the actress Rochelle Oliver; his daughter, Lydia Weaver; his son, Anthony; and a grandson.