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Charles Hallahan

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Charles Hallahan
Hallahan as LAPD Captain Charlie Devane on TV series Hunter.
Born
Charles John Hallahan

(1943-07-29)July 29, 1943
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 25, 1997(1997-11-25) (aged 54)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education
OccupationActor
Years active1972–1997
Spouses
Elizabeth Widmann
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1974)​
Barbara Gryboski
​
​
(m. 1983)​
Children2

Charles John Hallahan (July 29, 1943 – November 25, 1997)[1] was an American film, television, and stage actor. His films include Going in Style and Nightwing (1979), The Thing (1982), Silkwood and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), Vision Quest and Pale Rider (1985), P.K. and the Kid (1987), Cast a Deadly Spell (1991), Dante's Peak (1997), and Mind Rage (2001). On television he appeared in The Rockford Files, Happy Days and Hawaii Five-O (all 1977), played Chet Wilke in Lou Grant (1979–1982), M* A* S* H and Hill Street Blues (1981), The Equalizer (1985), and as Capt. Charlie Devane in Hunter from 1986 to 1991.

Biography

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Hallahan was born in Philadelphia to Charles John Hallahan Jr. and Margaret Catherine (née Sweeney), both of Irish Catholic descent.[1] He grew up in Harrisburg and then Green Ridge, Delaware County.[2] He was a student at St. James High School in Chester, leaving in 1961.[2] He attended Rutgers University-Camden,[1] graduating with a BA degree in 1968.[2] He then continued for a masters degree earning an MFA from Temple University in 1971.[3][2]

He served three years in the US Navy in the early 1960s,[2] including time as a Navy hospital corpsman.[2] He moved to Los Angeles in 1977.[1]

Career

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Hallalhan was a member of the American Conservatory Theater and appeared in many productions there such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Equus, and The Threepenny Opera.[3] In 1977, Hallahan was a founding member of The Matrix Theatre Company in Los Angeles.[3] performing in plays like Endgame (play) and The Seagull,[3] and Robert Schenkkan's play, The Kentucky Cycle.[2]

On screen, Hallahan has played Chet Wilke in Lou Grant (1979–1982).[1] In 1982, he portrayed geologist Vance Norris in the remake of The Thing alongside Kurt Russell.[3] He starred as LAPD Captain Charlie Devane on Hunter.[1] He portrayed the nameless "Coach" in Vision Quest, opposite Matthew Modine.[1] Hallahan also co-starred as a regular cast member in two popular television series, Grace Under Fire[2] and the long-running The Paper Chase.[3]

One of his final film roles--and arguably among his best remembered--was his portrayal of volcanologist Dr. Paul Dreyfus in the 1997 disaster-thriller film Dante's Peak, which also starred Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton.[1] His final screen turn--and his lone big-screen leading role--was as corrupt Los Angeles homicide detective Jack Stillman in the 2001 independent Hitchcockian noir-thriller Mind Rage, a film eventually released, posthumously, four years after his untimely death. In 1997, Hallahan was cast as Liam Bilby for the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Honor Among Thieves", but was replaced after having passed away.

Death

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On November 25, 1997, he died of an apparent heart attack while driving his car in Los Angeles.[3] He left behind his wife, Barbara; two sons, Seamus and Liam; and four brothers, Michael, Kenneth, Lawrence and Thomas.[3] His brother, Fr. Kenneth Hallahan, was a Roman Catholic priest in Camden, New Jersey. He was predeceased by his sister, Regina Macrina, an educator from Collingswood, New Jersey.[2]

Filmography

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Film

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Television series appearances

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Accolades

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  • Endgame — Winner — Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for Best Lead Performance (1995)
  • The Kentucky Cycle — Winner — Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Lead Performance (1992)
  • Rat in the Skull — Winner — Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Lead Performance (1986)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Brennan, Sandra (April 11, 2013). "Charles Hallahan - Full Biography". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hagenmayer, Joseph.S (December 1, 1997). "Charles Hallahan, 54, An Actor From Phila". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Charles Hallahan; Stage and TV Actor Starred in 'Hunter'". Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1997.
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