GD Spradlin RIP

[Smallpotatoes]

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/entertainment-movies/20110726/US.Obit.Spradlin/

I never saw the Godfather, but I enjoyed his work in North Dallas Forty, One on One, Tank, the Lords of Discpline and Canadian Bacon.
He did a great job playing asshole authority figures, the coaches in North Dallas Forty and One on One, General Bentley Durrell in the Lords of Discpline, etc. Makes me wonder if he was like that in real life or not.
I remember in one episode of Dragnet, he played an ex-con trying to get back into prison because he wanted to get back on the prison baseball team.

 

[Freelance Hack]

The scene with him and John Cazale in the brothel in The Godfather Part II is one of my favorite scenes in the series.

Also was good in his brief appearance in Apocalypse Now.

 

[The Big Ragu]

You never saw the Godfather?

RIP. I loved this guy. Don't forget him as the coach in the Robbie Benson classic One on One. He seemed to always do his best work as a sadistic coach or a corrupt politician. He was just great at those roles, though.

 

[Starman]

Oh, and coach, about the scholarship? All the way with a red-hot poker.

He was me before I was me.

Sincerely, Chelcie Ross

Can I be you after you're done being you?

Sincerely, Bill Paxton

 

[Liut]

Very good actor. RIP.

Oh, BTW smallpotatoes, you owe it to yourself to watch "The Godfather" sometime. I thought it was Duvall with him in the brothel scene, but could be mistaken.

 

[Freelance Hack]

Watch The Godfather and Part II. Part III, Fredo's Revenge, is optional.

 

[Steak Snabler]

He's not in The Godfather, is he? Just Godfather II, where he mangles The Don's name at the Lake Tahoe fundraiser:

"Vye-toe Corlee-onn."

 

[Starman]

He's not in The Godfather, is he? Just Godfather II, where he mangles The Don's name at the Lake Tahoe fundraiser:

"Vye-toe Corlee-onn."

Very intentionally, since minutes later in his private powwow with Michael, he rolls out the name "Corleone" with perfect Sicilian inflection.

He was trying to maintain the public fiction that he really didn't know the Corleone Family all that well. Plausible deniability.

Spradlin was a lawyer, rancher and oilman before getting into acting in his middle 40s.

 

[wedgewood]

He's not in The Godfather, is he? Just Godfather II, where he mangles The Don's name at the Lake Tahoe fundraiser:

"Vye-toe Corlee-onn."

I remember hearing it like this: Corrr-leee-ohhh-nayyy. Jeez, seems like a lot of character actors have died in the past couple years, no?

 

[wedgewood]

Wait, you're right. There was the one scene on Lake Tahoe. He refers to 'Vye-toe.' I'm thinking of the other scene where Michael speaks with the senator in the office. Was that the scene where he mangles it as 'Cor-lee-ohhh-nay.'?

 

[Steak Snabler]

By the way "I never saw The Godfather, but I enjoyed his work in ... Canadian Bacon" may be one of the most unintentionally funny things ever written on this site.

As a matter of fact, that's going in my sig ...

 

[Smallpotatoes]

By the way "I never saw The Godfather, but I enjoyed his work in ... Canadian Bacon" may be one of the most unintentionally funny things ever written on this site.

As a matter of fact, that's going in my sig ...

Don't forget Tank.

 

[matt_garth]

As others have touched on, he lived a fascinating life.

Was head of Phillips Petroleum's legal department in Caracas. Became an independent oil producer. Ran JFK's campaign in Oklahoma in 1960, ran for Oklahoma City mayor in 1965.

Then he became an actor.

http://t.co/YpHP0Lw

 

[Shoeless Joe]

RIP Senator Geary

 

[Webster]

He had no family. Nobody knows that he worked here. It'll be as if he never existed. All that's left is our friendship.

 

[Boom_70]

RIP - one of my favorite character actors. Favorite roll was General Corman in Apocalypse Now - the opening scene with Capt Williard.

"He's out there operating without any decent restraint, totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct. And he is still in the field commanding troops. "

I would imagine that Grantland will have something on this today.

 

[beardpuller]

RIP - one of my favorite character actors. Favorite roll was General Corman in Apocalypse Now - the opening scene with Capt Williard.

"He's out there operating without any decent restraint, totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct. And he is still in the field commanding troops. "

I would imagine that Grantland will have something on this today.

"He joined the special forces. After that, his ideas became ... unsound."

 

[Small Town Guy]

As Ragu mentioned, One on One was a great showcase for him. And for Robby Benson's skills.

 

[Liut]

A broader expanse of co-star Annette O'Toole's skills appear in "Cat People." ;D

 

[poindexter]

By the way "I never saw The Godfather, but I enjoyed his work in ... Canadian Bacon" may be one of the most unintentionally funny things ever written on this site.

As a matter of fact, that's going in my sig ...

Since the middle of last decade, smallpotatoes has provided more unintentionally funny moments than any other poster. He's an absolute treasure to this site.

And I haven't seen One on One in 30 years, but I remember this dead actor very well as the coach.