Tom Towles dies at 71; actor appeared in several Rob Zombie films
Tom Towles, the mustached character actor who popped up in several of director Rob Zombie’s movies, has died. He was 71.
The actor, who appeared in “House of 1000 Corpses” and “The Devil’s Rejects,” died Thursday in Pinellas, Fla., of complications from a stroke, according to a statement from his spokeswoman, Tammy Dupal.
“Tom was a personal friend, a fantastic actor and a lovely man,” Zombie said in a statement. “We worked together, we laughed and cried together. Not many fans knew the soft heart behind the tough exterior. Tom was one of a kind, never to be repeated.”
Towles’ memorable roles included a serial-killer sidekick in 1986’s “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” and an obnoxious zombie apocalypse survivor in the 1990 remake of “Night of the Living Dead.”
Among his other credits are “Grindhouse, “The Pit and Pendulum,” Zombie’s 2007 remake of “Halloween” and director Michael Mann’s “Miami Vice.”
The Chicago native’s TV credits included “Seinfeld,” “NYPD Blue,” “L.A. Law,” “ER,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Firefly.”
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