Veteran actor Ned Beatty passed away at 83

Veteran character actor Ned Beatty passed away at the age of 83. His career spanned four decades with more than 150 movies and was famed for starring in Superman, Network, All the President’s Men, Rudy, and Back to School.

The death was confirmed by a family member who shared that he passed while surrounded by his family. TMZ outlet reported that the death was not COVID-related.

Beatty’s versatility was seen in the 1972 psychological thriller Deliverance where he was the onscreen victim in the “Squeal like a pig” rape scene. The infamous scene has gone down in film history as one of the most immoral moments in film history.  Deliverance was also his film debut.

In the 1976 film Network,  Ned Beatty played Arthur Jensen who delivered the iconic 5 to 6-minute long monologue where he “attempts to convince the protagonist to accept a major merger deal that wouldn’t be good for the public.” The performance won him an Oscar nomination for the category Best Supporting Actor. Other prestigious award nominations included two Emmys, Golden Globe, and an MTV Movie Award.

In the 1978 film Superman, he played Otis, a bumbling henchman who is the foolish sidekick of Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor.  Beatty reprised his role in the 1980 sequel Superman II.

As Beatty got older he took on voice acting roles in hit animation films such as Rango and Toy Story 3. He also starred in TV series such as MASH, CSI, Murder, and She Wrote.

Ned Beatty is survived by his fourth wife Sandra Johnson and eight children from his previous three wives.