Wilford Brimley
American actor (1934–2020)
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Key Takeaways
- Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor.
- Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the late 1960s.
- Brimley was known for playing characters at times much older than his age.
- He also promoted diabetes education and appeared in related television commercials for Liberty Medical, a role for which he became an Internet meme.
- His paternal grandfather was an Englishman from Wigan, while his paternal grandmother's parents were a Scottish couple from Glasgow.
Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the late 1960s. He became an established character actor in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as The China Syndrome (1979), The Thing (1982), Tender Mercies (1983), The Natural (1984), and Cocoon (1985). Brimley was known for playing characters at times much older than his age. He was the long-term face of American television advertisements for the Quaker Oats Company. He also promoted diabetes education and appeared in related television commercials for Liberty Medical, a role for which he became an Internet meme.
Early life
Anthony Wilford Brimley was born in Salt Lake City on September 27, 1934, the son of Lola (née Nelson) and real estate broker Wilford Brimley. His paternal grandfather was an Englishman from Wigan, while his paternal grandmother's parents were a Scottish couple from Glasgow. His mother was half Danish and also had English, German, Swiss, and Welsh ancestry. Prior to a career in acting, he dropped out of high school at age 14 and worked as a cowboy in Arizona, Idaho, and Nevada.
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