Frank McRae obit

Frank McRae, Actor in ‘Licence to Kill’ and ‘Last Action Hero,’ Dies at 80

 

 He was not on the list.

Frank McRae, the actor who appeared in films such as “Licence to Kill” and “Last Action Hero,” has died. He was 80.

McRae died in Santa Monica, Calif. on April 29 as a result of a heart attack, his daughter-in-law confirmed to Variety.

The NFL player-turned-actor was born in Memphis, Tenn. A star athlete in high school, he went on to Tennessee State University as a double major in drama and history. McRae had a brief career as a professional football player and was the defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.

Making the pivot to a new kind of stage, McRae found his calling in the entertainment industry. In his 30-plus years as a character actor, he appeared in over 40 movies. Standing at approximately six-and-a-half feet tall, McRae took advantage of scooping up tough guy roles in movies like “Hard Times,” “Big Wednesday” and “F.I.S.T.” with Sylvester Stallone. McRae would go on to appear in three more films with Stallone in the ’70s and ’80s, including “Paradise Alley,” “Lock Up” and “Rocky II.”

In the 1973 gangster film “Dillinger,” McRae played Reed Youngblood, a grinning inmate who helps Warren Oates’ titular John Dillinger escape. According to IMDb, he got the role by standing in a production executive’s parking space until granted a meeting. McRae also appeared in the 1989 James Bond film “Licence to Kill” as Sharkey, a close friend of Bond (Timothy Dalton) and Felix Leiter (David Hedison).

Not to be tied down to just playing tough guys and authority figures — he played a police captain four separate times from 1982 to 1983 — McRae was also featured in comedies like “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” “Batteries Not Included” and “Used Cars.” He even parodied his own role in “48 Hours” with a performance in 1993’s “Last Action Hero” alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

McRae is survived by his son Marcellus and his grandchildren Camden, Jensen and Holden. Donations in his memory can be made to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, an orphan elephant rescue and wildlife rehabilitation program in Kenya.

Actor (64 credits)

 2006 Love's Abiding Joy

Cookie

 2005 Love's Long Journey (TV Movie)

Cookie

 2003 ER (TV Series)

Freddie

- Out of Africa (2003) ... Freddie

- Shifts Happen (2003) ... Freddie

 2000 Cory the Clown (TV Series)

Ringmaster (2000)

 2000 G-Men from Hell

Lester

 1998 Mr. P's Dancing Sushi Bar

Bruce McFee

 1998 One Hell of a Guy

Moe

 1998 Hijack

Roger Tate

 1998 Houdini (TV Movie)

Usher

 1997 Asteroid (TV Movie)

Lloyd Morgan (as Frank Mcrae)

 1997 The Killing Jar

Det. Bernie Morris

 1994 Lightning Jack

Mr. Doyle

 1993 Trouble Shooters: Trapped Beneath the Earth (TV Movie)

Hugh

 1993 Last Action Hero

Dekker

 1993 Loaded Weapon 1

Capt. Doyle

 1992 Columbo (TV Series)

Lt. Robertson

- A Bird in the Hand... (1992) ... Lt. Robertson (as Frank Mc Rae)

 1992 Sketch Artist (TV Movie)

Milon

 1990 Poochinski (TV Short)

Captain Ed Martin

 1990 Another 48 Hrs.

Haden (uncredited)

 1989 The Wizard

Spankey

 1989 Lock Up

Eclipse

 1989 Licence to Kill

Sharkey

 1989 Farewell to the King

Tenga

 1987 *batteries not included

Harry Noble

 1986 The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (TV Movie)

 1985 The Twilight Zone (TV Series)

Sheriff (segment "Opening Day")

- The Shadow Man/The Uncle Devil Show/Opening Day (1985) ... Sheriff (segment "Opening Day")

 1985 Hostage Flight (TV Movie)

Bart Cooper

 1985 Hill Street Blues (TV Series)

Jerome Simmons

- Dr. Hoof and Mouth (1985) ... Jerome Simmons

 1984 Red Dawn

Mr. Teasdale

 1984 Used Cars (TV Movie)

Jim

 1984 Magnum, P.I. (TV Series)

Pig, the Burglar

- I Witness (1984) ... Pig, the Burglar (uncredited)

 1983 Trapper John, M.D. (TV Series)

Runner #130

- The Agony of D'Feet (1983) ... Runner #130

 1983 National Lampoon's Vacation

Grover

 1983 Shooting Stars (TV Movie)

Tubbs

 1982 48 Hrs.

Haden

 1982 Cannery Row

Hazel

 1980 Used Cars

Jim the Mechanic

 1980 City in Fear (TV Movie)

Captain Madison

 1979 1941

Pvt. Ogden Johnson Jones

 1979 Quincy M.E. (TV Series)

Butterworth

- Dead Last (1979) ... Butterworth

 1979 Rocky II

Meat Foreman

 1979 Norma Rae

James Brown

 1978 The Rockford Files (TV Series)

Junior

- Kill the Messenger (1978) ... Junior

 1978 Wonder Woman (TV Series)

Foreman

- Disco Devil (1978) ... Foreman

 1978 Paradise Alley

Big Glory

 1978 Big Wednesday

Sergeant

 1978/I The End

Male Nurse

 1978 F.I.S.T.

Lincoln Dombrowsky

 1977 Dog and Cat (TV Movie)

Morgue Attendant

 1977 Dog and Cat (TV Series)

Morgue Attendant

- Pilot (1977) ... Morgue Attendant

 1977 Police Woman (TV Series)

Bubba

- Once a Snitch (1977) ... Bubba

 1976 The Quest (TV Series)

Daniels

- The Freight Train Rescue (1976) ... Daniels

 1976 Police Story (TV Series)

The Bodyguard

- Oxford Gray (1976) ... The Bodyguard

 1976 Pipe Dreams

Moose

 1976 Tracks

Train Coachman

 1975 Walking Tall Part II

Steamer Riley

 1975 Hard Times

Hammerman

 1975 The Orphan and the Dude (TV Movie)

Fast Freddie

 1975 Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley (TV Movie)

Mr. Langham

 1974 The Bank Shot

Hermann X

 1973 Shaft in Africa

Osiat

 1973 Dillinger

Reed Youngblood

 1973 Snatched (TV Movie)

Cheech

 1972 Cool Breeze

Barry, Mercer's Servant (uncredited)