Tom Noonan, Manhunter & RoboCop 2 Star, Dies at 74

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I was so saddened to hear about the passing of Tom Noonan. He was an incredibly talented actor, writer, and director – a lot of us probably knew him best as a fantastic villain in so many movies and shows. The news was shared by Fred Dekker, who directed him in The Monster Squad, and Karen Silas, who worked alongside him in What Happened Was…, a film he actually wrote and directed himself. He was 74 years old, and he’ll be deeply missed.

Born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, actor William Noonan was remarkably tall – six feet five inches – and initially played basketball as a young man. He started his career on stage but quickly transitioned to film in the 1980s. Some of his earliest roles were in Paul Mazursky’s Willie & Phil, John Cassavetes’s Gloria, and the notoriously unsuccessful Heaven’s Gate directed by Michael Cimino.

Tom Noonan Dies at 74

I first really noticed him back in 1986 when he played Francis Dollarhyde in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, which was the very first movie based on Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon. He and Mann teamed up again in 1995 for Heat, where he played Kelso, one of the guys working with Robert De Niro’s character. But Manhunter was a turning point for him, I think. It really established him as someone who could play these incredible villains, and he went on to play so many memorable ones! Like Cain in RoboCop 2, The Ripper in Last Action Hero, Mr. Ulman in The House of the Devil, and even the Pallid Man in the 12 Monkeys TV show. He just had a knack for those roles.

While this wasn’t all Noonan did, he often surprised audiences by taking on unexpected roles. A great example is his portrayal of Frankenstein’s Monster in The Monster Squad. As Dekker remembered after Noonan’s passing, he specifically asked Noonan to play the character with seriousness and depth, envisioning a performance similar to the character of Lenny from Of Mice and Men, rather than a comical one.

Dekker noted that Tom was drawn to the role because, like many talented actors, he thrived on complex and demanding characters – especially those with nods to well-known stories. While he found the makeup process difficult and irritating (often ripping it off after filming and even driving home with it on once), Tom was ultimately a kind and dedicated professional, and his passing is a significant loss to the world of acting.

Tom Noonan often worked with filmmaker Charlie Kaufman, appearing in his 2008 film Synecdoche, New York. He also provided almost all of the voices for Kaufman’s 2015 animated movie, Anomalisa. In Anomalisa, a motivational speaker experiences a strange reality where everyone appears and sounds identical—all voiced by Noonan—until he encounters Lisa (voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Noonan wasn’t limited to film; he also brought a powerful presence and likable quality to television. He often played villains, and one of his most memorable roles was as the serial killer John Lee Roche on The X-Files. That episode was particularly important to the show’s overall story. He also appeared in series like Hell on Wheels, The Blacklist, and The Leftovers.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this time.

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2026-02-18 20:44