X

Actor Rip Torn, star of The Larry Sanders Show, has died at 88

The actor known for his roles in Men In Black and 30 Rock died Tuesday at his home in Connecticut.

Jennifer Bisset Former Senior Editor / Culture
Jennifer Bisset was a senior editor for CNET. She covered film and TV news and reviews. The movie that inspired her to want a career in film is Lost in Translation. She won Best New Journalist in 2019 at the Australian IT Journalism Awards.
Expertise Film and TV Credentials
  • Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards
Jennifer Bisset
Ron Galella Archive - File Photos

Actor Rip Torn attending the Second Annual Screen Actor's Guild of America Awards in 1996, California.

Ron Galella, Ltd.

Voice artist, comedian and actor Rip Torn has died at 88 years old.

Best known for The Larry Sanders Show, Men In Black and 30 Rock, Torn died Tuesday at his home in Lakeville, Connecticut, with his wife Amy Wright and daughters Katie Torn and Angelica Page by his side, according to a statement released by Torn's family, ET reported Tuesday.

Torn was born Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn Jr. in Texas in 1931. He began his film career with an uncredited role as a dentist in the 1956 black comedy Baby Doll. He then went on to establish an outstanding career in film and TV, garnering a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Marsh Turner in the 1984 drama Cross Creek.

He was also nominated for six Emmys for his iconic role of Artie the producer in the groundbreaking sitcom The Larry Sanders Show, airing on HBO from 1992 to 1998. It followed a fictional late-night talk show, with Garry Shandling playing the titular Larry Sanders, alongside Jeffrey Tambor as his sidekick. Torn finally won an Emmy for his work on the show in 1996.

Torn appeared in nearly 200 movies and TV shows, one of his most recent roles being the voice of M in an episode of the now-canceled adult animated TV series TripTank. He is survived by his wife and six children.