R.I.P. Larry Drake, Star of ‘L.A. Law,’ ‘Darkman,’ and ‘Dr. Giggles’ (1950 – 2016)

One cannot forget Larry Drake’s face. His wide cheeks, sinister scowl, soft blue eyes, and arch eyebrows made for instant recognition. His body was large and imposing, and he tended to take up a screen, making him ideally suited for both heaves and tender lummoxes. Drake passed away this morning at the age of 66. 

His most notable role was that of Benny on the long-running L.A. Law, for which he won two Emmy Awards. Those who were watching TV movies in the early 1980s will most certainly remember Drake in the spooky cult movie Dark Night of the Scarecrow in 1981. In the feature film world, Drake was noticed by a generation of fans playing the wicked Robert Durant in Sam Raimi’s beloved cult superhero film Darkman, as well as its 1995 straight-to-video sequel.

Slasher film fans will remember Drake forever as the snickering, murderous medical professional in 1992’s Dr. Giggles. The scene wherein Drake performs surgery on himself has been the source of innumerable Gen-Y nightmares. 

Drake worked continuously, often appearing in straight-to-video genre films as well as on classy TV shows throughout the ’90s and 2000s, including Six Feet Under, Star Trek: Voyager, Firefly, 7th Heaven, and Boston Legal. He also did a good amount of voice work for various cartoons including Batman Beyond, Johnny Bravo, and Justice League

The man’s career was deep and wide. He will be missed. Here are some of the more notable roles:

Slideshow: Larry Drake (1950 – 2016)

Top Image: Universal

Witney Seibold is a contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and the co-host of The B-Movies Podcast. He also contributes to Legion of Leia and to Blumhouse. You can follow him on “The Twitter” at@WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.

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