Actor Sonny Landham, best known for his roles in the 1980s action movies « Predator, » « 48 Hrs. » and « Lock Up, » died Thursday from conges…
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Actor Sonny Landham, best known for his roles in the 1980s action movies « Predator, » « 48 Hrs. » and « Lock Up, » died Thursday from congestive heart failure in Lexington, Ky. He was 76.
Landham’s sister Dawn Boehler confirmed his passing to the Associated Press.
Born in Canton, Ga., the 6-foot-4 actor and stuntman got his start in Hollywood in X-rated films before landing a small role in Walter Hill’s 1979 street gang cult classic « The Warriors. »
Hill cast him again two years later in « Southern Comfort, » then gave him a meatier role in his 1982 action comedy « 48 Hrs. » Landham, who was part-Cherokee and part-Seminole, played Billy Bear, one of two outlaws on the run from a San Francisco detective and his reluctant convict accomplice, played respectively by Nick Nolte and « accomplice » Eddie Murphy.
Landham subsequently appeared in action films such as « Firewalker, » « Action Jackson, » and « Best of the Best 2, » and menaced Sylvester Stallone in the prison drama « Lock Up. »
Perhaps his best-known role was as the tracker Billy Sole in « Predator, » opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Frustrated by the lack of roles for Native American performers in Hollywood, Landham criticized the industry’s lack of inclusion at the height of his acting career.
« I’m an actor who happens to be an Indian, » he told United Press International in 1987. « Not an Indian trying to be an actor. »
He would later follow Schwarzenegger into politics, waging unsuccessful campaigns as a Republican for governor of Kentucky and U. S. Senate. In 2008, Landham’s anti-Arab comments lost him the Libertarian Party ‘s backing for U. S. Senate.
« Sonny Landham was such a joy to work with on ‘Predator, ‘ » Schwarzenegger tweeted Friday. « So talented, so fun to be around. We’ll miss him. My thoughts are with his family. »
