'L.A. Law' actor, Emmy winner Larry Drake dead at 66 | Mashable

'L.A. Law' actor, Emmy winner Larry Drake dead at 66

The actor was found dead Thursday.
'L.A. Law' actor, Emmy winner Larry Drake dead at 66
Larry Drake attends NBC's 75th Anniversary at Rockefeller Center in NYC. Credit: Star Max via AP Images

Larry Drake, best known for his role on Steven Bochco's NBC legal procedural L.A. Law and the Darkman movie series, has died, his agent and manager confirmed to Mashable. He was 66.

Drake's cause of death is not yet known, but the actor was reportedly dealing with health issues prior to his passing, according to TMZ, who first reported the news on Thursday.

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The cast of 'L.A. Law.' From left,  Alan Rachins, Jimmy Smits, Blair Underwood, Corbin Bernsen, Susan Dey, Harry Hamlin, Larry Drake, Susan Ruttan, Richard A Dysart, Michelle Greene, Michael Tucker, Jill Eikenberry. Drake died Thursday at the age of 66. Credit: Rex Features via AP Images

Drake's career spanned several decades, but he was arguably best known for his role of Benny, a messenger with an intellectual disability, on L.A. Law. He also appeared in the movie.

The role won Drake two Emmys and heaps of praise for his moving portrayal of the character. 

In the movie world, he was well known for playing antagonist Robert G. Durant in Sam Raimi's Darkman series and the title role in the 1992 horror movie Dr. Giggles.

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His agent Michael Eisenstadt described Drake as "such a nice man and a great and versatile actor." 

Much of Drake's most recent projects were in voice work. He was also very active teaching drama at Stephen Book Studio, his manager of 30 years Steven Siebert told Mashable

"He was a sweet soul and generous man. Highly Intellectual and interested in everything," Siebert added. "His New Years hope for 2016 was that Calif. would finally get some RAIN and we would be done with the drought! Larry was very concerned for the environment. He had a great sense of humor and was a force of nature." 

This post was updated 3/18 at 12:35 a.m. ET to include a statement from Drake's manager.

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Topics NBC

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Sandra Gonzalez

Sandra Gonzalez was a Senior Television Reporter at Mashable. A Texas native, she spent almost four years in New York City before leaving the land of superstorms for Los Angeles, where she was introduced to these terrifying things called "rolling earthquakes."Previously, she was with Entertainment Weekly, where she wrote about every show that could fit into her perfectly crafted TV schedule and anything ever touched by Shonda Rhimes.You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @theSandraG


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