Rio Hackford, ‘Swingers’ Actor and Club Owner, Dies at 51

Rio Hackford, prominent club owner, actor and son of Oscar-winning filmmaker Taylor Hackford, has died. He was 51.

Friend of Hackford and screenwriter D.V. DeVincentis confirmed his death in an Instagram post on Friday, and Hackford’s stepmother Helen Mirren also posted an image tribute on Saturday.

“Rio was more attuned to experience than anyone I’ve ever known. He would stop what was happening to point it out, compel you to pay attention,” DiVincentis wrote. “He would order you a must-have experience from a beloved menu and hold your eye as you paid attention to what was happening in your mouth.”

“Not simply obsessed with movies and how they mirrored and compelled, he was something more: a superfan of enumerable scenes, of particular gestures of unsung actors, weird career turns, roaring comebacks, cinema swan songs — all real experiences for you, when beheld consciously,” DiVincentis continued.

His brother Alex Hackford told Variety that Hackford died Thursday, April 14 after battling an unspecified illness

Hackford began his career in entertainment in 1990 with a role in “Pretty Woman.” Other minor roles in the ‘90s included “Safe” and ”Double Dragon.” In 1995’s “Strange Days,” he appeared as Bobby the bartender, then he landed the very memorable part of Skully in 1996’s “Swingers.”

Hackford’s well-known roles include appearances in “Alive” (2006), “Déjà Vu” (2006), “Fred Claus” (2007), “Parker” (2013) and “Trumbo” (2015). He also portrayed Grayden Nash in “Jonah Hex” (2010).

More recently, he appeared in episodes of HBO’s “True Detective” and WGN’s “Underground.” He played Toby the Tower Records Clerk on HBO’s “Treme,” and he also appeared in FX’s 2016 series “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson” as Pat McKenna, an investigator for attorney Robert Shapiro.

Hackford’s most recent projects include Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” in which he played a manager and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian,” for which he provided motion capture work on the assassin droid IG-11, voiced by Taika Waititi.

Hackford owned Homestead in San Francisco and El Dorado in downtown Los Angeles. He also renovated the Monty bar west of downtown Los Angeles. He co-owned dive bars Pal’s Lounge, Matador and One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans.

He is survived by his wife, his two sons, his father Taylor, his brother Alex and his stepmother Helen Mirren.