Actor Tom Noonan, known for his roles in such films as “Manhunter,” “Heat” and “The Monster Squad” has died. He was 74.
“Monster Squad” director Fred Dekker announced Noonan’s passing in a post on Facebook, saying the actor died Saturday.
“It’s with great sadness that I share the passing of Tom Noonan,” he wrote. “Tom’s indelible performance as Frankenstein in The Monster Squad is a highlight of my modest filmography … he was the proverbial gentleman and scholar, and the world has lost a great talent.”
“My dear friend and co-star, Tom Noonan passed peacefully on Valentine’s Day 2026,” actress Karen Sillas, who starred with Noonan in the 1994 film based on his off-Broadway play “What Happened Was …,” wrote on Instagram. “What a privilege and crazy fun it was working with this man and calling him my friend to the end … may his Legacy continue to shine on.”
Noonan got his start in theater, most notably starring in the original off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard’s “Buried Child,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
He began working in movies in the 1980s, with one of his first roles being in the infamous flop “Heaven’s Gate.”
He developed a reputation for playing villains, most notably playing serial killer Francis Dollarhyde in Michael Mann’s “Manhunter,” the first film to feature Hannibal Lecter.
In addition to “Manhunter and ”Monster Squad,” Noonan also played a drug kingpin in “Robocop 2,” the Ripper in “The Last Action Hero,” and a hacker in the crime drama “Heat.”
“I’ve always been a very quiet person, and ironic, and subtle, and a lot of the parts that I get to play are these loudmouth maniacs who have something really wrong with them,” Noonan said in a 1994 interview.
He also starred in “Synecdoche, New York,” “The Pledge,” “The Astronaut’s Wife,” “The House of the Devil,” and the animated film “Anomalisa,” where he provided voices for the entire supporting cast.
On television, Noonan made appearances on “The X-Files,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” “CSI,” “Damages” and “Hell on Wheels.”
In addition to “What Happened Was …,” another of his plays, “Wifey,” was adapted into a film titled “The Wife.”
He is survived by a daughter and a son.