| Wilford Brimley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Allen Wilford Brimley September 27, 1934 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Spouse | Lynne Brimley (deceased) |
Allen Wilford Brimley (born September 27, 1934)[1] is an American actor.[2] He has appeared in such films as The China Syndrome,[2] Cocoon, The Thing and The Firm.[2] He had a recurring role on the 1970s television series The Waltons. Brimley has also done television commercials, including ads for Quaker Oats[2] and Liberty Medical.[2]
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Brimley was born as Allen Wilford Brimley in Salt Lake City, Utah,[2] where his father worked as a real estate broker.[3]
Prior to his career in acting, Brimley worked as a ranch hand, wrangler, blacksmith, and a bodyguard for Howard Hughes.[1] He then began shoeing horses for film and television. He began acting in the 1960s as a riding extra in Westerns and as a stunt man at the urging of his friend, actor Robert Duvall.[4]
Brimley was cast in the popular 1970s television series The Waltons as Walton's Mountain resident Horace Brimley, in seven appearances from 1974 through 1977.
Brimley became famous later in life for appearing in such films as The Hotel New Hampshire,[5] John Carpenter's The Thing,[6] and Cocoon.[6] In 2001, he starred in the Turner Network Television film Crossfire Trail[6] with Tom Selleck. He had an important role in The China Syndrome.[6] He often plays a gruff or stodgy old man, notably on the 1980s drama series Our House. His first characterization was in Absence of Malice, in which he played a small but key role as a curmudgeonly, outspoken James A. Wells,[7] Assistant U.S. Attorney General. He expanded on this characterization as the world-weary manager of a hapless baseball team in The Natural, a film in which his friend Duvall appeared as an antagonistic sportswriter.
Brimley was cast in the 1983 film Tender Mercies due to the urging of Robert Duvall, who was not getting along well with director Bruce Beresford and wanted "somebody down here that's on my side, somebody that I can relate to."[8] Beresford felt Brimley was too old for the part, but eventually agreed to the casting. Brimley, like Duvall, clashed with the director; during one instance when Beresford tried to advise Brimley on how Harry would behave, Duvall recalled Brimley responding: "Now look, let me tell you something, I'm Harry. Harry's not over there, Harry's not over here. Until you fire me or get another actor, I'm Harry, and whatever I do is fine 'cause I'm Harry."[8]
In a change from his "good guy" roles such as those in Our House, he played William Devasher, the ominous head of security for Bendini, Lambert & Locke in the Tom Cruise film The Firm[9] (1993), based on the novel by John Grisham.
Brimley has frequently appeared in commercials, notably a series of commercials he did for Quaker Oats[10] Oatmeal throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The Quaker commercials were famous for their slogan: "It's the right thing to do and the tasty way to do it." Brimley is also known for appearing in numerous television advertisements for Liberty Medical, a company specializing in home delivery of medical products such as diabetes testing supplies.
Brimley has also been described as "a fine singer with a warm, rich voice".[11] In 1993, Brimley sang with the Cal State Northridge Jazz Band for a concert benefiting the college's Jazz Endowment Scholarship Fund; in 2004, he released This Time, The Dream's On Me, an album of jazz standards named after the Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer-penned title track.[11][12]
Diagnosed with diabetes in 1979, Brimley began working to raise awareness of the disease. The American Diabetes Association[13] (ADA) honored Brimley in 2008[13] with an award to recognize his lifetime of service.[13] Brimley has been active visiting Veterans Administration hospitals and communities to advise patients on how to manage their diseases. The ADA presented the award to the actor at the Port St. Lucie headquarters of Liberty Medical on December 19, 2008.[14]
Brimley is an activist, paying from his own funds for ads to have Utah allow horse-race gambling.[15] He spoke against the banning of cockfighting in New Mexico on the basis of his support of individual rights.[16] Brimley enjoys playing poker[17] and has played in the World Series of Poker Main Event.[18] Brimley lent his support to John McCain in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.[19] In the days leading up to his selection for vice president, McCain jokingly stated that he would pick Brimley: "He's a former Marine and great guy and he's older than I am, so that might work."[20] Brimley is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brimley has resided in Greybull, Wyoming since 2006.[21]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Bandolero! | Stunts (uncredited) | |
| 1969 | True Grit | Stunts (uncredited) | |
| 1971 | Lawman | Stunts (uncredited) | |
| 1976 | The Oregon Trail | Ludlow | television movie |
| 1979 | The China Syndrome | Ted Spindler | |
| The Electric Horseman | Farmer | ||
| 1980 | Brubaker | Rogers | |
| Borderline | Scooter Jackson | ||
| 1981 | Absence of Malice | Asst. U.S. Atty. Gen. James A. Wells | |
| 1982 | Death Valley | The Sheriff | |
| The Thing | Dr. Blair | ||
| 1983 | Tender Mercies | Harry | |
| 10 to Midnight | Captain Maline | ||
| High Road to China | Bradley Tozer | ||
| Tough Enough | Bill Long | ||
| 1984 | Harry & Son | Tom Keach | |
| Ewoks: The Battle for Endor | Noa Briqualon | ||
| The Hotel New Hampshire | Iowa Bob | ||
| The Stone Boy | George Jansen | ||
| The Natural | Pop Fisher | ||
| Country | Otis | ||
| Terror in the Aisles | archival footage | ||
| 1985 | Cocoon | Benjamin Luckett | |
| Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins | Harold Smith | ||
| Shadows on the Wall | Theater Owner | ||
| Murder in Space | Dr. Andrew McAllister | ||
| 1986 | Jackals | Sheriff Mitchell | |
| 1987 | End of the Line | Will Haney | |
| 1988 | Cocoon: The Return | Benjamin Luckett | |
| 1989 | Eternity | King/Eric | |
| 1992 | Where the Red Fern Grows: Part II | Grandpa Will | |
| 1993 | The Firm | William Devasher | |
| Hard Target | Uncle Douvee | ||
| 1994 | Heaven Sent | Security Guard | |
| 1995 | Mutant Species | Devro | |
| Last of the Dogmen | Narrator (uncredited) | ||
| 1996 | My Fellow Americans | Joe Hollis | |
| 1997 | In & Out | Frank Brackett | |
| Lunker Lake | The Storyteller | ||
| 1998 | A Place to Grow | Jake | |
| Progeny | Dr. David Wetherly | ||
| Chapter Perfect | Chief Hawkins | ||
| All My Friends Are Cowboys | Charlie | ||
| Summer of the Monkeys | Grandpa Sam Ferrans | ||
| 2000 | Comanche | ||
| 2001 | PC and the Web | ||
| Brigham City | Stu | ||
| The Ballad of Lucy Whipple | Deputy Sheriff Ambrose Scraggs | ||
| Crossfire Trail | Joe Gill | ||
| 2002 | Resurrection Mary | Morty | |
| The Round and Round | Governor | ||
| 2003 | The Road Home | Coach Weaver | |
| 2009 | The Path of the Wind | Harry Caldwell | Completed (to be released) |
| 2009 | Did You Hear About the Morgans | Earl Granger |
| Year | Show | Episode | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Waltons | The Five-Foot Shelf | Horace Brimley | |
| 1975 | The Waltons | The Song | Horace Brimley | |
| 1977 | The Waltons | The Heartbreaker, The Hawk, The First Casualty, The Celebration | Horace Brimley | |
| 1977 | The Oregon Trail | Hard Ride Home and The Last Game | Unnamed role | |
| 1986 | Our House | All | Gus Witherspoon | |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | #161 - The Junk Mail | United States Postmaster General Henry Atkins | Brimley parodied himself in his role as an assistant attorney general in Absence of Malice |
| 1992 | The Boys of Twilight | All | Bill Huntoon |