The Fall Guy Actors You May Not Know Passed Away

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The action-drama series "The Fall Guy," which aired on ABC from 1981 to 1986, starred former "Six Million Dollar Man" Lee Majors as Colt Seavers, who divided his time between stunt work in films and television with work as a skip tracer/bounty hunter who pursued fugitive criminals. With the help of his eager cousin Howie (Douglas Barr) and stunt performer Jody (Heather Thomas), Seavers crisscrossed the United States and the globe in pursuit of guilty parties from all walks of life. Created by Glen A. Larson of "Battlestar Galactica" fame, "The Fall Guy" may never have been a critical hit per se, but it consistently remained in the Top 20 Nielsen ratings for the majority of its network run, and is today remembered as one of the beloved '80s action/iconic vehicles/larger-than-life characters series ("The A-Team," "Dukes of Hazard," "Knight Rider") that once ruled the airwaves.

With four series leads — Jo Ann Pflug and Markie Post played Seavers's bail bondswomen bosses — "The Fall Guy" relied heavily on guest stars to fill out the various bad guys, bystanders, and movie industry people that orbited the main characters each week. These roles were populated by longtime Hollywood actors and newcomers alike, many of whom fit organically into the life of a man who'd "been on fire with Sally Field/Gone fast with a girl named Bo."

Lou Ferrigno, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Cassandra Petersen/Elvira were among the many recognizable faces who played themselves, lending credibility to the show's Hollywood setting. In the time since Colt's final primetime adventure aired more than three decades ago (though the show has been considered for big-screen revival on several occasions), many of those guest stars are no longer with us. Below is a spoiler-centric look at the "Fall Guy" actors you may not know have passed on.

Though perhaps the least recognizable name on this list, actor William Bryant was also one of the most prolific guest stars on "The Fall Guy." The Detroit, Michigan native played an unnamed filmmaker (he's billed as "The Director") who oversaw Colt's movie projects in 14 episodes of "The Fall Guy" between Seasons 1 and 3. The small recurring role was not atypical for Bryant, who handled numerous minor roles — several of which were uncredited — in features and on television from the late 1940s to the early 2000s.

Bryant, who performed under a variety of names, including William, Bill, and Willie Bryant, appeared in bit and supporting parts in films like "The Great Race" and "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes," though he did land a major supporting role as the father of paralyzed skiing champion Jill Kinmont in "The Other Side of the Mountain." TV offered more substantive and regular employment for Bryant, who enjoyed recurring roles on the TV Westerns "Hondo" and "Lancer" and played several fire engine company captains on "Emergency!"

Bryant added voice-over work on animated series and various video games to his extensive resume prior to his death at the age of 77 on June 26, 2001.

A high school friend of Elvis Presley, Red West served as driver, bodyguard, songwriter, and confidante to the rock 'n' roll legend until the mid-1970s, when their friendship fractured and West was dismissed by Presley's father. By that point, West had also become an actor and stuntman; he had appeared in uncredited roles in numerous Presley movies before moving up to character turns in "Walking Tall" and numerous episodic TV series like "The Wild, Wild West" and "Baa Baa Black Sheep." West also turned up in four episodes of "Fall Guy," playing (among other roles) a conflicted record label owner in Season 3's "Pirates of Nashville" and an air show owner in trouble with mobsters in Season 4's "Tailspin."

West, who also wrote songs for Pat Boone and Johnny Rivers, stayed busy in features and on TV for decades, netting appearances in "Road House," "Natural Born Killers" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" as well as episodes of "Simon & Simon" and "Nashville." The former Golden Gloves boxer, who co-wrote the best-selling tell-all book "Elvis: What Happened?" in 1977, died of an aortic aneurysm at the age of 81 on July 18, 2017. His cousin, Sonny West, who was also part of the "Memphis Mafia" that orbited around Elvis, as well as an actor and stuntman, died in May of that same year.

Like Sid Haig, actor Robert Tessier was a casting director's favorite when it came to playing tough, imposing characters. Tessier's burly physique, bald head, and semi-permanent scowl earned him roles in numerous movies and television shows, including four turns on "Fall Guy." And like Haig, these characters didn't require much of Tessier beyond showing up and looking tough: he played a prison inmate is Season 1's "That's Right, We're Bad," a ranch hand involved in diamond smuggling in Season 3's "King of the Cowboys," and a jailed thug in Season 4's "Sheriff Seavers."

Tessier, a native of Lowell, Massachusetts and decorated Korean War veteran, began his entertainment career as a stunt motorcycle rider, which led to roles in biker pictures like "The Born Losers," which marked the debut of Tom Laughlin's cult hero, Billy Jack. Tessier's Native American heritage also led to roles in several Westerns, most notably the miniseries "Centennial," but he found more work as men who spoke little and punched hard in films like "The Longest Yard" and "The Deep." His most memorable movie role during this period was the smiling, scary bare knuckles fighter who battled Charles Bronson in Walter Hill's "Hard Times."

Tessier, who also handled stunts and second unit direction on several films, spent much of the 1980s on episodic TV series like "The A-Team" and "Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century." He also starred in a series of TV spots for Midas Mufflers, often in the company of other screen tough guys like Lee Van Cleef and fellow "Fall Guy" guest player Richard Lynch. Tessier continued working in low-budget features until his death from cancer at the age of 56 on October 11, 1990.

One of the most prolific character actors in American features and television for more than five decades, Norman Alden turned up in two episodes of "Fall Guy" between 1982 and 1983. In typical fashion, Alden's role aren't flashy — he's billed sixth in Season 1's "Goin' For It!" and plays a football coach in Season 2's "Win One for the Gipper???" But Alden was cast on his ability to make any role or premise seem believable, which he did from the mid-1950s until the mid-2000s.

Familiar for both his face — he starred as a mechanic in countless commercials for AC Delco — and voice, which he lent to Aquaman and Green Arrow on "Super Friends" and Kranix in "Transformers: The Movie," Alden appeared in countless movies, including the original "Nutty Professor," "Semi-Tough, and "Patch Adams." More often than not, Alden was called upon to polish a small but notable role, like Lou the counterman in "Back to the Future," or a foreman in "They Live," or a colorblind camera operator loosely inspired by real-life cinematographer William C. Thompson in "Ed Wood."

Between these projects were numerous guest appearances on TV series, including "The Untouchables," "Batman," "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (on which his character drowned in a bowl of chicken soup), and "Electra-Woman and Dynagirl." Alden retired from acting after appearing in the 2006 TV-movie "Our House," dying at the age of 87 on July 27, 2012.

Veteran film and TV heel Richard Lynch brought his sinister, streetwise vibe to two episodes of "Fall Guy" in 1983 and 1984. In Season 3's "Pleasure Isle," he's an embezzler who kidnaps his former girlfriend (Carol Lynley) to extract information about an account that holds his riches; in Season 4's "Stranger Than Fiction," his Miami crime boss sends thugs after writer Susan Lucci, who has recorded a revealing interview with one of his associates.

Lynch, whose sharp features were the results of a self-immolation incident in the late 1960s, was best known for playing bad guys with a blend of charisma and menace in films like "Invasion USA" and "The Sword and the Sorceror" in the 1980s. A graduate of the Actors Studio, he began his career on the New York stage opposite the likes of Al Pacino, Jason Robards, and Anne Bancroft. He transitioned successfully to features and TV in the early '70s, quickly amassing a sizable number of credits including "Scarecrow" (with Pacino), "The Seven-Ups," and Larry Cohen's "God Told Me To."

Lynch was also a staple of television series and made-for-TV features, including the title role in 1979's "Vampire" and recurring runs on "Battlestar Galactica" and "Starsky and Hutch," among many other small-screen efforts. Though he drifted into low-budget features in the '90s and 2000s, Lynch continued to appear in high-profile projects as well, including guest shots on "Six Feet Under," "Charmed" and in Rob Zombie's remake of "Halloween." Lynch was slated to appear in Zombie's "Lords of Salem" but was forced to drop out due to health concerns; the 72-year-old Lynch died of an apparent heart attack in his home in Yucca Valley, CA on June 19, 2012.

Though actress Farrah Fawcett was mentioned in every episode of "The Fall Guy" — Lee Majors croons her name in the opening lines of the show's theme song, "The Unknown Stuntman" — she made one on-screen appearance in the series. Colt is hired as Fawcett's stunt double in the series pilot, and after emerging from a wrecked car — wearing a dress and Farrah-esque wig — the two exchange a few words and smoldering looks.

At the time of the episode's airing, Majors and Fawcett were separated following six years of marriage (they would finalize the divorce in 1982), and the actress was in the process of rebuilding her career after a dramatic plummet from worldwide stardom. Fawcett had rocketed to fame as an original cast member of "Charlie's Angels," but departed the series after a single season. Subsequent projects, like the films "Saturn 3" and "Sunburn," were dismal failures, but Fawcett defanged many of her critics with her intense performance in the Off-Broadway play "Extremities."

She compounded that success with the 1984 TV-movie "The Burning Bed," which earned her the first of four Emmy nominations. Fawcett later captured a Golden Globe Award for the film version of "Extremities," and netted additional Golden Globe nods for "Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story" and "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story." Fawcett further rebuilt her film career with appearances in Robert Altman's "Dr. T and the Women" and acclaimed work opposite Robert Duvall in "The Apostle."

Diagnosed with cancer in 2006, Fawcett's health was the subject of intense media speculation until her death from the disease at the age of 62 on June 25, 2009. A documentary about Fawcett, "Farrah's Story," aired that same year to sizable ratings.