"L.A. Law" Actor Larry Drake 2016 Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Larry Richard Drake (February 21, 1949 – March 17, 2016) was an American actor, voice artist, and comedian best known as Benny Stulwicz in L.A. Law, Robert G. Durant in both Darkman and Darkman II: The Return of Durant and the voice of Pops in Johnny Bravo.

Early life

Larry Richard Drake was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on February 21, 1949, the son of Raymond John Drake, a drafting engineer for an oil company, and Lorraine Ruth (née Burns), a homemaker.[1][2] He graduated from Tulsa Edison High School and the University of Oklahoma.[3]

Career

Drake is mostly remembered for his portrayal of developmentally disabled Benny Stulwicz in L.A. Law, from 1987 until the show's end in 1994, for which he won two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards (1988, 1989).[4][5][6][7] He returned to the role of Benny in L.A. Law: The Movie, a "reunion movie" that aired on NBC in 2002.[8]

He appeared in numerous film and television roles, including Time Quest, Dark Asylum, Paranoid, Bean, Overnight Delivery, The Beast, The Journey of August King, Murder in New Hampshire, 

Dr. Giggles,[9] 

Darkman,[10] Darkman II: The Return of Durant,[11] 

American Pie 2,[12] and 

Dark Night of the Scarecrow. 

He was a regular on Prey.[13] Drake provided the voice Pops in Johnny Bravo. In 2007, he co-starred in Gryphon, a Sci-Fi Pictures original film.

Personal life

Drake was married from 1989 to 1991 to Ruth de Sosa. The couple had no children.[14][15]

Death

On March 17, 2016, Drake was found dead in his Los Angeles home at the age of 67. Drake's manager, Steven Siebert, reported that the actor had some health problems in the months before his death.[16] It was later reported that Drake suffered from a rare form of blood cancer that caused his blood to thicken. Other causes, such as hypertension and morbid obesity, led to his cardiac arrest.[17]

Larry Drake is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. 

References

1. "Larry Drake profile". FilmReference.com.
2.Lorraine Ruth Burns Drake (1924–2002) at Find a Grave
3. Davis, Chuck (May 8, 1988). "L.A. Law Actor Turns One Scene Into Regular Character on Show". The Oklahoman.
4. Haithman, Diane (November 3, 1988). "Larry Drake of L.A. Law Goes Mainstream". Los Angeles Times.
5. O'Connor, John J. (October 17, 1991). "Review/Television; On 'L.A. Law', New Faces but the Same Nasty Edge". The New York Times.
6. "Review/Television; Life on 'L.A. Law' Grows Ever Odder". The New York Times. May 18, 1989.
7. Selby, Holly (September 24, 1990). "Larry Drake's portrayal of Benny shatters stereotypes of the retarded". The Baltimore Sun.
8. King, Susan (May 12, 2002). "Together Again". Los Angeles Times.
9. Canby, Vincent (October 24, 1992). "Movie Review: Dr Giggles". The New York Times.
10. James, Caryn (August 24, 1990). "Movie Review –With Brains and Skin, Another Cloaked Avenger Fights Evil". The New York Times.
11. "Darkman-II-The-Return-of-Durant". The New York Times.
12. "American Pie 2 (2001)".
13. "Humanoids Make Scientists Paranoids". The New York Times. January 15, 1998.
14. Notice of death of Larry Drake, variety.com
15. Mcphate, Mike (March 18, 2016). "Larry Drake, Lovable Clerk on 'L.A. Law', Dies at 67". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
16. McPhate, Mike (March 18, 2016). "Larry Drake, Lovable Clerk on 'L.A. Law', Dies at 67". The New York Times. p. A21.
17. 'L.A. Law' Star Larry Drake Rare Blood Cancer Led to Death, tmz.com