Byline: David Matthews, New York Daily News (TNS)
New York native Charles Cyphers, an actor known for his roles in Halloween and Major League, has died at age 85.
His manager, Chris Roe, confirmed to Variety that Cyphers died on August 4 in Tucson, Arizona, following a brief illness. Roe did not provide further details.
Cyphers played Sheriff Leigh Brackett in John Carpenter’s original Halloween, released in 1978. He went on to reprise the role and reunite with Jamie Lee Curtis in 1981’s Halloween II and the reboot-sequel Halloween Kills in 2021. The latter marked his final film appearance before his death.
“To be called back again in a film, it’s unheard of after 40 years. Most people are dead,” Cyphers said in a 2022 interview at HorrorConUK.
Nancy Keyes, who played his doomed daughter Annie Brackett in the classic horror flick, remembered him fondly.
“So sorry to hear about dear Chuck,” Keyes told People magazine. “My friend of many years, he could always be relied on for a kind word, a good laugh and a great story. How he will be missed.”
Alongside Keyes, Cyphers also appeared in Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 and The Fog. He worked with Carpenter again on the 1981 low-budget action classic Escape From New York.
Born on July 28, 1939, in Niagara Falls, New York, Cyphers eventually moved to California and began acting, racking up more than 100 film and TV credits.
In addition to his collaborations with Carpenter, he also appeared on episodes of Seinfeld, ER, The Dukes of Hazzard, Starsky and Hutch, The Betty White Show, Charlie’s Angels, and many more.
In 1989, Cyphers portrayed front office man Charlie Donovan in the baseball comedy Major League, alongside Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger.
He also appeared in acclaimed films like Hal Ashby’s Coming Home, with Jane Fonda and Jon Voight, and Clint Eastwood’s Honkytonk Man.
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