Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.
Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.
"Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. "He was awesome."
A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s.
Gleason honed his acting skills with his mentor Lee Strasberg, whom he studied with at the Actors Studio beginning in the mid-1960s, family members said.
Through his career, Gleason appeared in over 60 movies that included "Die Hard," "Johnny Be Good," and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." Most recently, Gleason made a handful of television appearances in hit shows such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld."
Gleason's passions went beyond acting. He had recently published a book of poetry.
"He was an athlete, an actor and a poet," said his daughter, Shannon Gleason-Grossman. "He gave me and my sister a love that is beyond description that will be with us and keep us strong for the rest of our lives."
Actor Jimmy Hawkins, a friend of Gleason's since the 1960s, said he remembered Gleason for a sharp sense of humor.
"He just always had great stories to tell," Hawkins said.
Gleason was survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Funeral plans were pending.
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My favorite scene ever with him is when he's on the payphone in Trading Places, and some guy comes up waiting for the phone, and he says, "Hold on." Then turns to the guy and just says, "Fuck off." Damn that's some funny shit.
_________________ Deep below the dunes I roved Past the rows, past the rows Beside the acacias freshly in bloom I sent men to their doom
_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
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Mesothelioma? You don't just get that without a LOT of exposure to asbestos and cigarettes. I wonder when he was working with asbestos for years at a time?
_________________ Unfortunately, at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Flower Children jerked off and went back to sleep.
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punkdavid wrote:
Mesothelioma? You don't just get that without a LOT of exposure to asbestos and cigarettes. I wonder when he was working with asbestos for years at a time?
Did you SEE the school they filmed the Breakfast Club in?
Mesothelioma? You don't just get that without a LOT of exposure to asbestos and cigarettes. I wonder when he was working with asbestos for years at a time?
Did you SEE the school they filmed the Breakfast Club in?
I guess Judd Nelson doesn't have long to live after all, he was the one climbing on top of those ceiling tiles.
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