Sean McCann obit

Sean McCann, Actor in ‘Tommy Boy,’ ‘Chicago,’ Dies at 83

Prolific Canadian character actor Sean McCann, who played Lt. Jim Hogan on the 1980s CBS police drama 'Night Heat,' has died. He was 83.

 

He was not on the list.

Prolific Canadian character actor Sean McCann, best known for playing Lt. Jim Hogan on the 1980s CBS police drama Night Heat, has died. He was 83.

McCann, who appeared in more than 150 movies and TV series over nearly six decades, died June 13 in Toronto due to complications from heart disease, his agent, Karen Law Wanstall, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

His screen credits included playing Frank Rittenhauer in Chris Farley’s Tommy Boy, a judge in the Oscar-winning Chicago and O’Brien in David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch.

Born on Sept. 24, 1935, in Windsor, Ontario, McCann made his acting debut in the 1961 Toronto-shot anthology TV series Encounter for the CBC and ABC. He also played Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King in Donald Britain’s TV drama The King Chronicles.

McCann went on to star in movies such as The Law of Enclosures, alongside Sarah Polley and Diane Ladd; the Meryl Streep starrer First Do No Harm; Paul Schrader’s Affliction; and Sidney Lumet’s Guilty as Sin.

McCann also worked as a baseball scout for the Toronto Blue Jays club after his lifelong passion for baseball early on took him across the U.S. border frequently to watch Tiger games in Detroit. And he unsuccessfully ran for public office in Ontario’s 1979 provincial election.

In one of his last acting gigs, McCann played NHL Hall of Fame referee Red Storey in Goalie, a Canadian TV movie about star goaltender Terry Sawchuk.

In 1989, he won the the Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement in TV acting at Canada’s national media awards.

 

McCann is survived by his wife of 51 years, Andree Paquet, and five children.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1974      A Quiet Day in Belfast     Peter O'Lurgan

1975      Sudden Fury       Polanski              

1976      The Far Shore    Cluny    

1977      The Uncanny      Inspector             Segment: "Hollywood 1936"

1977      Starship Invasions            Carl       

1978      Three Card Monte           Car Salesman    

1979      Title Shot             Lieutenant Grace             

1980      Nothing Personal              Jake      

1980      Hog Wild              Colonel Warner                

1980      Atlantic City        Detective             Credited as Sean McCaan

1980      Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave              Jack       

1981      Death Hunt         News Reporter

1981      Tulips    Roger   

1981      Silence of the North        Man on Soup Line           

1982      I Know a Secret Six-Toed Jimmy Short film

1985      One Step Away                 

1986      The High Price of Passion              John Benedict   

1986      Flying    Jack Crew           

1986      In This Corner    Joe Dunne          

1988      Criminal Law      Jacob Fisher       

1994      The Air Up There              Ray Fox                

1994      Trapped in Paradise        Chief Bernie Burnell       

1994      Heritage Minutes: Agnes Macphail           The Warden      

1995      Tommy Boy        Frank Rittenhauer           

1995      Iron Eagle IV       Wilcox  

1996      Swann   Homer

1997      Affliction              Evan Twombley               

1998      Simon Birch        Chief Al Cork     

1999      Woman Wanted               Kevin    

2000      Possible Worlds                Inspector Berkley            

2000      The Law of Enclosures    Hank     

2002      Chicago                Judge   

2004      Miracle                 Walter Bush      

2005      The River King    Ernest Grey        

2012      Let the Daylight Into the Swamp                Donal St. Jules  

2014      The Big Fat Stone             Defense Lawyer Simon Trumble                

2015      No Deposits        Hostage Negotiator        

2017      Born Dead           Father McKenna              

2019      Goalie   Red Storey         

2021      Defining Moments           Shopkeeper       

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1982      Off Your Rocker                 Lou Carmen        Television movie

1985-1989          Night Heat          Lieutenant Jim Hogan     96 episodes

1988      The King Chronicle           Mackenzie King                 Miniseries

1989      Small Sacrifices Russell Wells      Television movie

1994      Wild C.A.T.s: Covert Action Team              Marlowe (voice)               Episodes: "Pilot" and "Cry of the Coda"

1995-2003          Little Bear            Grandfather Bear (voice)              14 episodes

1998      Dogboys               Pappy    Television movie

1998      Evidence of Blood            Theodore Warfield          Television movie

1998-2000          The Noddy Shop               Noah Tomten     66 episodes

Nominated - Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Pre-School Program or Series (1999)

Nominated - Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Pre-School Program or Series (2000)

1998      Power Play          Ray Malone        3 episodes

2000      A House Divided               Rutherford          Television movie

2000-2001          George Shrinks Russell Copeland (voice)               3 episodes

2001      The Day Reagan Was Shot            Donald Regan    Television movie

2003      The Pentagon Papers     John Mitchell     Television movie

2005-2006          Naturally, Sadie                 Dr. W.S. Finch    7 episodes

2011      Haven   Dom Novelli        Episode: "Roots"

2014      Best Christmas Party Ever             Arthur Tyrell       Television movie