Emmy-winning actor Rip Torn died at age 88

Rip Torn, the free-spirited Texan who overcame his original name to become a distinguished actor in the fields of theater, television and film and won an Emmy in his sixties for his comedy tour at the television "The Larry Sanders Show" is deceased. He was 88 years old.

Torn died Tuesday afternoon at home with his wife Amy Wright and his daughters Katie Torn and Angelica Page by his side, according to his reporter Rick Miramontez. No cause of death has been given.

His stage and screen career spanned seven decades, ranging from a dark and threatening early career to iconic comic performances later in life.

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After performances acclaimed in "Cross Creek", "Sweet Bird of Youth": and in other dramas, Torn turned to comedy to capture his Emmy as a television producer as ambitious as ethically challenged in "The Larry Sanders Show ". Created by Garry Shandling The parody of TV talk shows aired by HBO between 1992 and 1998 is widely renowned for having inspired satirical programs such as "30 Rock" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm".

Born Elmore Rual Torn, the actor adopted the name of Rip in his childhood, in accordance with the tradition of his father and uncle. It was a subject of endless ridicule at the beginning of his acting career in New York, and his fellow drama students urged him to change it.

With his usual stubbornness, he refused, finally overcoming the jokes with a series of powerful performances that have earned him to be considered, along with Marlon Brando, Paul Newman and James Dean, as actors of a generation's past. Post-war that brought realism tense to their craft. He was also a political activist who joined James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte and other civil and cultural rights leaders in a frank and moving meeting in 1963 with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy at the time. the treatment of blacks by the country.

Torn made his film debut in 1956 in an adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "Baby Doll". In a few years, he became a respected film and television actor, sometimes working with his second wife, Geraldine Page. At the actors studio, he drew the attention of Elia Kazan, who hired him as Alex Nicol's liner, then playing Brick Pollitt in the classic Tennessee Williams film , "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Towards the end of the Broadway show, Torn assumed the role of the former football hero, alcoholic and emotionally disturbed. He did it against his will as Elmore Torn.

Cast later in a "US" Steel Hour "for television, he was told to change his name or give up his role.He threatened to return to his native Texas, but eventually agreed to be credited Eric Torn was later called Rip Torn, whose success ultimately prompted a younger cousin to become an actor – Sissy Spacek, an Oscar winner.

Other films cited include Critics Choice and The Cincinnati Kid. In "Defending Your Life" by Albert Brooks, he was introduced as a gregarious advocate in the afterlife.

On television, he played characters such as Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson and Walt Whitman.

His career went through a drought in the 1970s and he blues the buzz in Hollywood at the time when it was hard to work, a sealed reputation when the tension on the "Easy Rider" set Led to the replacement by Jack Nicholson for the 1969 edition and lacks one of the greatest successes of the time.

"I would not say I was blacklisted," he told the Associated Press in 1984, "but the word circulated that I was tough and unreliable. In all my years at the theater, I've never missed a performance. "

He managed to continue working in small theater, film and television projects, and returned to the general public in 1983 with "Cross Creek", in which he played Marsh Turner. The role earned him his only Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Among his other films: "City Heat", "The Red October Hunt" and "Men in Black".

But he has never completely shaken his rebellious reputation.

"What do they say about all the guys who are great actors?", He told the New York Times in 2006. "Do not you say they have a temperament and explosive emotions?" Yes Of course, they do not say they like a nice, sweet guy, look at Sean Penn.

In 1994, actor-director Dennis Hopper stated in "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" that Torn had fired a knife at a New York restaurant after complaining of being replaced in "Easy Rider". He sued Hopper for defamation and won $ 475,000. judgment.

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He has remained active in film and television in recent years, including a recurring role in "30 Rock" and a dubbing concert in the 2007 animated film "Bee Movie".

He had to face two impaired driving arrests, including one in December 2008 near his home in Salisbury, Connecticut, which had led him to an education program on the subject. alcohol.

Born in Temple, Texas, Torn first studied agriculture at Texas A & M and was an actor at the University of Texas. After serving as a military policeman during the Korean War, he hitchhiked to Hollywood. Landing only tiny roles in movies and television series, and dedicated to cooking French fries and the dishwasher, he decided to move to New York and seek additional training as that & # 39; actor.

Torn and his first wife, actress Ann Wedgeworth, had a daughter, Danae, before getting divorced. In 1963, he married Page, with whom he starred in touring production and the film version of "Sweet Bird of Youth". They had three children, a girl, Angelica, and twins Jon and Tony. his death in 1987. Torn also had two children, Katie and Claire, with actress Amy Wright.