The serial killer ghost is no more. The American actor Tony Todd, made famous in particular for his main role in the film series “Candyman”, died this Friday, November 8 at the age of 69, near Los Angeles (United States), his death has been confirmed. wife to The Hollywood Reporter magazine. He died after a long illness.
“The film industry has lost a legend. We have lost a dear friend. Rest in peace, Tony,” wrote on Instagram the production company New Line Cinema, behind the “Final Destination” franchise, in which the actor had filmed.
Originally from Washington DC, the American capital where he was born in 1954, he has been playing roles in cinema and television for 40 years. His first role dates back to 1986, in the Oliver Stone film “Platoon”, in which he played Sergeant Warren. But it was through the “Candyman” horror film series that he found himself in the spotlight in the early 1990s.
He played the Hook-Handed Killer, who was summoned whenever a person said his name five times in front of a mirror. As The Guardian points out, “this horror classic explores racism and social class”. Indeed, Tony Todd's character, Daniel Robitaille, haunts a site where a social housing project is to be built. The very place where he was killed, lynched in a racist attack.
The saga spanned three opuses between 1992 and 1999, before a “reboot” in 2021, in which Tony Todd took over the role that made him famous. The American actor also contributed to the success of the “Final Destination” film series in 2000, by playing William Bludworth, the funeral director of the same name. He appeared in the first two parts, then in the fifth in 2011. He finally reprized his role in the sixth feature film of the collection in recent months, which is due to be released in cinemas in 2025.
In the 2000s, the man had also multiplied small roles in popular TV series, in addition to his career in the cinema. We could notably see him in episodes of “24 Heures Chrono”, “Charmed”, “CSI: Miami”, “Smallville” and even “Hawaii 5-0”. He also played Farmer McGinty in an episode of the series “Riverdale” in 2017.
