Tony Todd, an American actor known for leading the “Candyman” horror franchise as its eponymous hook-wielding ghost, died Wednesday at his home in Marina Del Rey, Calif. He was 69.
Todd’s death was confirmed by a representative for the actor. A cause of death was not disclosed.
A reliable presence in genre fare across four decades, Todd’s series of credits include iconic titles such as Alex Proyas’ landmark comic book adaptation “The Crow,” Michael Bay’s Alcatraz actioner “The Rock” and the elaborate killing set-piece series “Final Destination.” His debut film performance came at the age of 32 in Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning war epic “Platoon.” On “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Todd donned make-up to play Kurn, a Commander in the Klingon Defense Force and the brother of Worf (played by series regular Michael Dorn).
But Todd secured his name in the genre pantheon with his performance in director Bernard Rose’s “Candyman,” an early-’90s Americanized spin on Clive Barker that offered an iconoclastic and supernatural approach to themes of gentrification and America’s history of racism. Todd played Daniel Robitaille, aka Candyman, the ghost of an African American artist and son of a slave who was murdered for his relationship with a white woman. The film starred Virginia Madsen as a Chicago graduate student preparing a thesis on the legend of Candyman by investigating inner-city Chicago.
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