Ned Beatty, Superman & Network character actor, dies at 83

June 14th 2021, 9:19am

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Hollywood has lost another great one. Beloved character actor Ned Beatty, who made a very memorable debut in 1972's Deliverance, died on Sunday at the age of 83.

Beatty's manager Deborah Miller confirmed the news of his passing in a statement that read "Ned passed away from natural causes Sunday morning, surrounded by his family and loved ones. His family has decided to keep details private at this time. Ned was an iconic, legendary talent, as well as a dear friend, and he will be missed by us all."

Ned Beatty was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1937 and he got his start as an actor in regional theater in the South in the 1960s. The actor made his film debut in John Boorman's 1972 film Deliverance as an Atlanta businessman on a canoe trip with three buddies who get ravaged by two Georgia mountain men. The debut, which had him opposite Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight, put Beatty on the map in Hollywood.

Two years later, Beatty earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in 1976's Network, where he had a brief but memorable role as a TV network executive who gives an impassioned five-minute speech to Peter Finch's increasingly unhinged on-air news host, Howard Beale and tries to argue that corporate control of humanity would be a good thing.

In 1978, Beatty played the bumbling sidekick to DC Comics villain Lex Luthor in the Superman movie opposite Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve. As Otis, Batty gave a subtly funny and memorable performance that gave the film most of its comic relief. It was just another example of Beatty's importance as a supporting player and it proved that a character actor could steal the scene in the best way.

Beatty went on to appear in scores of films and TV shows in his 50-plus years as an actor with other credits that include Toy Story 3, All the President's Men, Shooter, and Where the Red Fern Grows. His healthy career also included TV credits, most notably a two-season run in the mid-'90s on Homicide: Life on the Street and playing the father of John Goodman's Dan Conner on six episodes of the sitcom Roseanne.

Definitely a great actor that will certainly be remembered. What are some of YOUR favorite Ned Beatty performances?