Sunday, July 29, 2012

Tribute: R.G. Armstrong (1917 - 2012)



A great and versatile character actor in the horror genre, R.G. Armstrong (1917 – 2012), has passed away. 

Mr. Armstrong’s impressive film and television career stretched beyond half-a-century, and the talent made a name for himself in genre films such as Race with the Devil (1975), The Car (1977), Evilspeak (1981), The Beast Within (1982), and Children of the Corn (1984).  

He also played an American general (and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s commanding officer) in the original Predator (1987).

On TV, Armstrong made appearances in a number of horror anthologies including The Twilight Zone (“Nothing in the Dark,”), Quinn Martin’s Tales of the Unexpected (“The Final Chapter), and Darkroom (“The Bogeyman Will Get You.”)

It is for two recurring roles in the genre, however, that Mr. Armstrong is widely known and beloved.

First, he portrayed the evil Lewis Vendredi – original owner of Curious Goods – in several episodes of Friday the 13th: The Series (1989 – 1990), including “The Inheritance,” “Hellowe’en,” “What a Mother Wouldn’t Do,” “Bottle of Dreams” “Doorway to Hell” and “Night Hunger.”

Secondly, Armstrong is recognized and beloved for his six appearances during the second season of Chris Carter’s Millennium as “the Old Man,” the leader and guru of the Millennium Group.  Armstrong’s Old Man appeared in “Beware of the Dog,” “Owls,” “Roosters,” “The Fourth Horseman” and “The Time is Now.”

Outside of horror, Armstrong appeared in TV series such as Salvage 1 (“Confederate Gold,”) Beauty and the Beast (“Kingdom by the Sea”) and Quantum Leap (“A Single Drop of Rain.”)

In all his roles, Armstrong was incredibly authentic, combining a homespun sort of wisdom with, on occasion, the capacity to seem absolutely fearsome.  His rich talent shall be missed, but as is always the case with great artists, his work will live on and continue to be discovered and appreciated for years to come. 

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:19 PM

    RIP RG. He was from Hueytown, AL (outside of Birmingham, where my father went to high school) and a graduate of UNC (my alma mater; his classmate and friend Andy Grffith of course died a few days ago), so my father and I have both been long fan of his. He elevated many productions, and he had a gret career.

    --Hugh Davis

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  2. RG had such a commanding presence. He really shined in those Millennium episodes. It's rare to see an actor steal a scene from Lance Henriksen but if anyone could stand toe to toe with him in the series he was one of them. Sad news indeed.

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  3. Sorry for my typos. Clearly, RG Armstrong had a *great* career, and we were *fans* of his. He deserves better spelling. He'll also be missed.

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  4. Dave Colohan6:40 AM

    Very sad to read this. 'The Old Man' was one of the great characters in Millennium. Race with the Devil & The Car are both films I only discovered (& loved!) in the last year but I will surely be revisitng them. In a week which has seen the passing of two beloved actors from Classic Doctor Who - Mary Tamm & Geoffrey Hughes - this really brings up many emotions. I still think of Millennium as a recent show, however silly that may seem... Godspeed R.G. Armstrong

    Dave Colohan

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  5. Funny, I had dug out The Beast Within and was watching select bits in the past few days. Loved this man, sure will miss him.

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  6. Okay, Friday the 13th wasn't Millennium, but what a shame they didn't use him more often.

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