The George A. Romero Foundation has confirmed that 2020 took one last genre star from us in its final hours, as Day of the Dead cast member Gary Klar passed away on December 31st after a battle with ALS. He was 73 years old.
Klar was best known for playing Steel, a soldier with a "nasty mouth" and "the biggest piece of meat in the cave", in Romero's 1985 zombie film, but he had 23 other screen credits to his name, including appearances in John Cassavetes' Gloria, Sean S. Cunningham's A Stranger Is Watching, the Eddie Murphy / Dan Aykroyd comedy classic Trading Places, Three Men and a Baby, the Tom Hanks hit Big, the Clint Eastwood action comedy Pink Cadillac, the Robin Williams film Cadillac Man, the Bill Murray crime comedy Quick Change, and the '90s favorite Hackers. He could also be seen in episodes of Law & Order, Spenser: For Hire, and The Equalizer.
The actor very often played characters who weren't given proper names, but would instead be credited by their profession: Irish Cop, Penitentiary Guard, Longshoreman, Bouncer, Construction Worker, Hit Man, Detective, Ticket Taker, Head Bookie.
Born on March 24, 1947, Klar became an actor after he had to give up a career as a professional football player due to an injury. His first acting role was in the 1980 John Ritter film Hero at Large.
Klar was 51 years old when he found out he had been adopted, and he wasn't the only child from his biological family who had been put up from adoption. It turned out that a childhood friend was actually his biological brother, and a girl he had briefly dated in his youth was his biological sister. The story of his adoption was so incredible, it ended up being covered on news programs like Dateline NBC and Good Morning America.
He had an interesting life, and he delivered an unforgettable performance in Day of the Dead. It's very sad to hear that we've lost Gary Klar, as we have so many other Day of the Dead cast members, and of course Romero himself.
Klar is survived by his wife and children. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans.
The clip below contains explicit language: