Tony Todd, the actor who played the eponymous phantom killer in the original Candyman horror franchise and other notable roles, has died at 69.
The news was confirmed to CNN on Saturday by Todd’s talent agent, Dede Binder, of the Defining Artist agency. No additional details on the actor’s death were immediately available.
Todd was best known for his portrayal of Daniel Robitaille, also known as the Candyman, a killer who is summoned by saying his name five times in front of a mirror.
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Todd portrayed the character, originally based on a 1985 Clive Barker short story, in the original film franchise starting with the 1992 movie, and reprised the role in the 2021 reboot directed by Nia DaCosta.
The actor’s second-ever screen credit was the character Warren in the Oliver Stone movie Platoon, which won Best Picture at the 1987 Academy Awards. Other notable film roles for Todd came in Clint Eastwood’s 1988 Charlie Parker biopic Bird, 1989’s Lean on Me and The Rock from 1996.
But Todd made his mark primarily in the horror genre playing the character of Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise and appearing in movies like Night of the Living Dead from 1990, The Crow (1994) and 2006’s Hatchet.
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Regarding his status as Black horror royalty, Todd told The New York Times in 2020 that he didn’t “mind” it. “You can label me however you want. I know who I am.”
“I didn’t get my master’s saying, ‘I want to be a horror film star.’ I just wanted to be a good actor,” he said, adding, “Horror fans are the most ferocious fan base there is. That allows for a lot of personal appearances and celebrating a genre that’s sort of kicked to the side but also passionately adored.”
Todd also enjoyed a robust career as a television actor, appearing in multi-episode arcs in series including MTV’s Scream: The TV Series, NBC’s Chuck, 24 on Fox and the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless.
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He played Kurn and other characters in multiple titles within the Star Trek universe, and also worked as a prolific voice actor in genre fare such as CW’s The Flash and the animated series Transformers Prime.
A theater-trained actor who frequently returned to the stage often in between his screen and voice work, Todd earned a master’s degree from the Trinity Repertory Company and studied at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.
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