Actor Ed Lauter Has Passed Away At Age 74

Most likely you've seen Ed on television making appearances on: The Office, ER, Murder She Wrote and The Rockford Files. Sadly Ed passed away yesterday (Wednesday October 16th, 2013) from cancer. He was 74.

My favorite role played by Ed Lauter was his role as a prison guard who gave Burt Reynolds a hard time in the 1974 movie 'The Longest Yard'.
The AP Reports:

Lauter's publicist, Edward Lozzi, says the actor died Wednesday of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer most commonly caused by asbestos exposure.

Lauter's presence as an irascible authority figure, a brutal thug or a conniving con man made him all but impossible to miss in any film he was in.

Thank you for entertaining us over the decades Ed.