William Bronder, Actor in Rob Reiner’s 'Stand by Me,' Dies at 84
He was not on the list.
He also
appeared in the Minnie Driver-David Duchovny romantic comedy 'Return to Me' and
on dozens of TV shows.
William
Bronder, a veteran character actor who stood out in the classic Rob Reiner film
Stand by Me, died May 6 at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, his family
announced. He was 84.
Bronder
played Milo Pressman, the junkyard owner whose dog Chopper chases Gordie (Wil
Wheaton) off his property as the boys embark on their adventure looking for the
dead body of a man struck by a train.
Later,
Pressman gets under the skin of Corey Feldman’s character, Teddy, by insulting
his dad: “He’s crazier than a shithouse rat,” he says. “No wonder you’re acting
the way you are, with a loony for a father.”
In the
Bonnie Hunt-directed romantic comedy Return to Me (2000), starring Minnie
Driver and David Duchovny, Bronder played Wally, an old crony of restaurant
owner Marty O’Reilly (Carroll O’Connor in his final onscreen appearance).
Bronder also
appeared in such films as Flush (1977), Yes, Giorgio (1982), Cannery Row (1982)
and Best Seller (1987) and on TV shows including Marcus Welby, M.D., Switch,
Baretta, The Streets of San Francisco, Police Story, CHiPs, The Misadventures
of Sheriff Lobo, Hill Street Blues, Hunter and Knots Landing.
A native of
New York City, Bronder served in the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and in the
U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. In the 1960s, he moved to Hollywood to
pursue an acting career.
Bronder
raced pigeons for more than 50 years and was a Hall of Fame member of the FVC
San Fernando Valley Pigeon Club.
Survivors
include his wife of 50 years, Tona; siblings Charles Sr. and Patricia;
daughters Colleen and Joan; stepchildren Gary, Crystal and Rhonda;
grandchildren Charles, Christopher, Michael, Jerilee, Richard, Gary, Laura,
Melissa and Jennifer; and 15 great-grandchildren.
A memorial
service will take place at 11 a.m. on June 26 at Eternal Valley Memorial Park
in Newhall, Calif.
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