'LA Law' and 'Darkman's' Larry Drake dies at 66
The unforgettable Robert Durant in "Darkman (1990)," Larry Drake, passed away on Thursday, March 17, at the age of 66. He was found dead by a friend in his Los Angeles home. The cause of death is not certain, but he was said to have been dealing with health problems only recently, although not anything that seemed acute or terminal.
Drake's agent confirmed this with USA Today, "He was such a nice man and a great actor."
His first foray into the movies was in "This Stuff'll Kill Ya!" But Drake was best-known as the mentally challenged Benny Stulwicz in "L.A. Law" (in 1987 to 1994) for which he won the Emmy Award as outstanding supporting actor twice (1988 and 1989). He went on to reprise his role in "L.A. Law: The Movie." He was also in the film "Bean" (1997) and appeared in "7th Heaven," "Crossing Jordan," "Six Feet Under," and "Boston Legal." His voice was featured in several animated series, including "Justice League," "Scooby Doo?", "What's New," and most notably in "Johnny Bravo" (1999-2004).
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He also starred on TV, appearing first in Thornton Wilder's "The Skin of Our Teeth" and later as a regular in the science fiction series "Prey" which aired on ABC, playing Dr. Walter Attwood.
Whitney Smith tells USA Today that Drake had been struggling with his weight problems.
She shared that "(Larry) was aware that overweight people are under-represented in Hollywood. He would say that people in casting calls acted as if they might catch the fat from him."
In recent years, he did work more as an acting coach and less as an actor. He taught the improvisational technique since 2006 at the Stephen Book Acting Workshop.
Book said, "Larry was a terrific teacher. And his students adored him. They would send me notes about how much they appreciated his classes."
Book also said that he had seen Drake the previous week seeing to getting a support boot off his foot from a recent medical procedure.
Drake married actress Ruth de Sosa in 1989, but the couple got their divorce after a couple of years.
