Over the course of a screen acting career that stretched across fifty years, Charles Cyphers racked up 100 credits, but he’s best known for his collaborations with John Carpenter, having appeared in the director’s Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, Someone’s Watching Me!, Elvis, The Fog, and Escape from New York. His most popular character was Sheriff Leigh Brackett from the 1978 Halloween, a role he reprised in 1981’s Halloween II and, after a forty year absence from the Halloween franchise, 2021’s Halloween Kills. Sadly, we’ve lost this great character actor, as Variety reports that Cyphers has passed away “from a brief illness” at the age of 85.
Cyphers’ manager Chris Roe confirmed his passing to Variety and provided the following statement: “Charles was a lovable and sensitive man. He always had the best stories, and you got a full performance while he told you. He was a close friend and client on many years who will be dearly missed.“
Nancy Kyes, who played his character’s daughter Annie Brackett in Halloween and also appeared in Assault on Precinct 13, The Fog, and (in a dead body cameo) Halloween II with Cyphers, added that she is, “So sorry to hear about dear Chuck. My friend of many years, he could always be relied on for a kind word, a good laugh and a great story. How he will be missed.“
Born in 1939, Cyphers made his screen debut in the 1972 film Cool Breeze. In addition to the Carpenter and Halloween projects, his credits include Truck Turner, Vigilante Force, Roots, The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, Coming Home, A Force of One, Death Wish II, The Executioner’s Song, Honkytonk Man, Grizzly II, Hunter’s Blood, Big Bad Mama II, Gleaming the Cube, Major League, Loaded Weapon 1, Murder in the First, and episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Murder One, JAG, ER, Seinfeld, Sliders, The George Carlin Show, SeaQuest 2023, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Renegade, Roc, Murder She Wrote, New Dragnet, Jake and the Fatman, Freddy’s Nightmares, 21 Jump Street, Night Court, Simon & Simon, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Matlock, Airwolf, The Dukes of Hazzard, Hart to Hart, Starsky and Hutch, Barnaby Jones, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Cannon, among many others.
The biography on his IMDb page notes that “Charles is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He also took drama classes at Los Angeles City College and is a graduate of Cal. State at LA, receiving his BA in theatre arts. Aside from his many film and tv credits he is especially proud of his body of work in the LA theatre. He was a member of the company of angels for 25 years. He is a recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for best performance by an actor for his role in The Caretaker and a dramalogue award for best performance by an actor.“
Our sincere condolences go out to Charles Cyphers’ family, friends, and fans.