The famous actor Rip, stranded from the 1990s hit movie "The Larry Sanders Show", died at age 88: NPR

Rip Torn, the eccentric and whimsical Texan actor who won an Emmy Award for his influential role in the 1990s TV show "The Larry Sanders Show," died Tuesday at the age of 88 years old.

In a statement to NPR, Torn's reporter did not disclose the cause of his death, but said he was at home surrounded by his family in Lakeville, Connecticut.

With a career spanning seven decades, he began in theater and theater before embarking on the production of an insane director in Garry Shandling's "The Larry Sanders Show," a satire of the HBO television series in the mid-1990s. , credited with providing a humorous template for shows such as "The Office", "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "30 Rock", which program he would later present on the occasion.

Born Elmore Rual Torn Jr. in Temple, Texas, a small town north of Austin, he took the nickname "Rip" after his father and uncle.

"It's as if the baseball players who called Woods called Piney. It's just a nickname," Torn told Terry Gross on WHYY Fresh air In 1994.

When he started playing TV in the 50s, some in the industry were wary of the nickname.

"They said that Elmore looked like a fool and that Rip looked like a comedian," he said. Fresh air. "I never really worried about that."

His other films include "Cross Creek", "Men in Black" and "DodgeBall: A Real Kid Story".

In "Defending Your Life" by Albert Brooks, he played the role of a defense attorney in the afterlife. Brooks tweeted Tuesday night: "R.I.P Rip Torn He was so good at defending your life I'll miss you, Rip, you were a real original."

Over the years, Torn has developed an unpredictable and stubborn reputation, both in front of the camera and in his private life.

"This is the kind of performer who has won critical acclaim for the convincing way he has torn the gates," the New York Times wrote about Torn in 2006.

"Off the scene, Torn was working on the racial integration of the theatrical world." He vehemently defended every line, so shocking at the time, of James Baldwin's incredibly violent play, "Blues for Mr. Charlie," and helped persuade Baldwin, who was procrastinating, to finish this, "the Times piece added.

In the end, Torn was removed from his role in the London production of Baldwin's play on his "corrosive attitude".

When confronted with this story by the Times, Torn laughed.

"What are they saying about all the guys who are great actors?" Torn said. "They do not say that they have a volatile temperament and emotions? Yes, of course! That's right. They do not say that they like nice gentle guys. Look at Sean Penn."

In an interview given in 1994 to "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno", actor Dennis Hopper recounted a story about Torn.

"Rip and I had a little problem, uh," Hopper said.

At dinner, Hopper told Leno that Torn had shot him at a restaurant in New York after discovering that his role in the movie "Easy Rider" was attributed to another actor.

A legal quarrel between Hopper and Torn ensued and resulted in a defamation settlement after stating that the Leno aspect of Hopper had skewed the actual course of events. Apparently, the handling of the knife was not one-way. According to the court records of the time, the two men "attacked each other with a butter knife and a salad fork".

In 2010, Torn was arrested after drunkenly introducing himself into a bank with a loaded rifle asserting that he thought it was his home.

However, in front of the camera, Torn was able to convince his daring trends to play convincingly.

In addition to winning six Emmy nominations for his role in "The Larry Sanders Show," Torn was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the character of Hard Cross in the 1983 film "Cross Creek" .

He attended Texas University and then enlisted in the army during the Korean War. Torn originally thought that he would be a breeder, but then decided to hitchhike to Hollywood, where he did small jobs and got small parts. His first break came after drama studies in New York, when he landed roles in the shows "Omnibus" and "Playhouse 90".

When asked, in 1994, in the NPR weekend edition, what he liked most about his role as Artie in "Larry Sanders Show", Torn has said it must be Garry Shandling. But the second best thing? The pay check.

"I do not care about the money I paid people who thought they had forgotten them," Torn said. "I'm not looking for bill collectors As my father has been saying for years, I'm not:" What is Rip doing up there? He said: "Fucking water."

The Torn publicist has confirmed that he is survived by his wife, Amy Wright, and his four daughters: Danae, Katie, Claire and Angelica Page; and two twin sons, Tony and Jon Torn.

Torn also leaves her sister, Patricia Alexander, and her four grandchildren: Elijah, Tana, Emeris and Hannah.