R.I.P. Kevin Conway of Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Actor Kevin Conway had 80 screen credits to his name, appearing with the likes of Sylvester Stallone in F.I.S.T. and PARADISE ALLEY, Kevin Costner in THIRTEEN DAYS, Bruce Willis in MERCURY RISING, Chevy Chase in FUNNY FARM, Michael Keaton in ONE GOOD COP, and Mark Wahlberg in INVINCIBLE. He played Sgt. Buster Kilrain in the Civil War epics GETTYSBURG and GODS AND GENERALS, he worked with Clint Eastwood on MYSTIC RIVER, with Sam Raimi on THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, and with George Roy Hill on SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. He had roles on TV shows like Miami Vice, The Equalizer, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Law & Order, JAG, Homicide: Life on the Street, and Oz. He was in LAWNMOWER MAN 2: BEYOND CYBERSPACE, which certainly wasn't a career highlight. When The Outer Limits was revived in the '90s, Conway provided the Control Voice that told viewers there was nothing wrong with their television. 

Of all the projects Conway worked on, the one I'll always primarily remember him for is director Tobe Hooper's 1981 film THE FUNHOUSE. In that film, he plays a man who runs a carnival funhouse… and also happens to be the father of a hideous, horny, homicidal son. This father and son duo stalk and kill a group of teenagers who have made the bad decision to spend the night in the funhouse. 

But the Funhouse Barker isn't the only character Conway played in that movie. Every barker we see in the movie is played by the same man, with Conway putting on different looks and voices to play the Strip Show Barker and the Freak Show Barker. As the Freak Show Barker, he delivered the iconic line, "Alive! Alive! Alive!"

Born in Harlem in 1942, Conway served in the Navy after he graduated high school and then got a job working at IBM. After enrolling in nighttime acting classes on a whim, Conway requested to be fired from IBM so he could draw unemployment while pursuing an acting career. That pursuit led to a stage and screen career that lasted for more than fifty years. 

Sadly, Conway passed away in Manhattan last Wednesday at the age of 77. His longtime partner Geraldine Newman has said that he died of a heart attack.

It's upsetting that we won't get to see more of Conway's performances, but he left behind a lot of work for us to continue to enjoy for a long time to come. Including three roles in THE FUNHOUSE alone.

Our condolences go out to Conway's family, friends, and fans.