Died at 71
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Tony Todd (December 4, 1954 – November 6, 2024) was an acclaimed American actor known for his deep, resonant voice and imposing screen presence. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Hartford, Connecticut, Todd trained in theatre at the University of Connecticut and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, building a foundation for his later work both on stage and screen. Todd's film career began in the mid-1980s with supporting roles in films like "Platoon" (1986) and "Sleepwalk" (1986). He rose to prominence for his starring role as Ben in "Night of the Living Dead" (1990) before achieving iconic status as the title character in the horror classic "Candyman" (1992), a role he would reprise in several sequels. His film credits also include "The Crow" (1994), "The Rock" (1996), "Wishmaster" (1997), and his recurring role as William Bludworth in the "Final Destination" series (2000–2025). In television, Todd was widely recognized for his recurring roles across the Star Trek franchise—most notably as Kurn, Worf's brother, in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," as well as other roles in "Star Trek: Voyager." He also made memorable appearances on shows like "Boston Public," "24," "The X-Files," "Smallville," and "Law & Order". Beyond live-action roles, Todd was a prolific voice actor. He contributed to the Half-Life video game series as the Vortigaunts, voiced The Fallen in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009), Zoom in "The Flash" (2014–2023), and played Venom in "Marvel's Spider-Man 2" (2023), for which he earned a BAFTA Games Award nomination. Todd’s theatre credentials were equally impressive, including starring roles in Broadway and regional productions such as August Wilson's "King Hedley II," "The Captain's Tiger," "Othello," and "Aida." His voice, physical stature, and range earned him critical acclaim and a lasting legacy in horror, science fiction, and dramatic arts. Tony Todd died from stomach cancer at his home in Marina del Rey, California, on November 6, 2024, at the age of 69. He had reportedly been quietly battling this illness during his final projects. Both "Final Destination: Bloodlines" and "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle" were dedicated to his memory.
In the middle of New York City, characters from the old stories and fairy tales live among us in exile. Bill Willingham has taken characters we've grown up with, including Snow White, Bigby (a.k.a the Big Bad) Wolf, Jack Horner, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Boy Blue, the Frog Prince and many more, and spins them into a realistic, modern day setting. The characters we, the people of the Mundane World, thought were fictional have come to the real world to escape The Emperor/The Adversary, a despotic conqueror of tremendous power who rules over The Empire. Eventually, a number of these characters, heroes and villains alike, decide to put aside their differences and stick together in their own community. Old crimes are forgiven by signing a compact which makes them a citizen of this community, and also forbids them from revealing their true nature to the "mundies". Non-human characters who can't afford a spell to make them look human are consigned to a secluded "farm" in Upstate New York. However, those old crimes are rarely, if ever, forgotten; a major early plot point is that Bigby Wolf is banned from said "farm" for all the atrocities he committed before he reformed.
