Actor Wilford Brimley, who appeared in Cocoon and True Grit before becoming the Quaker Oats pitch man, dies at 85
- Wilford Brimley passed away at home in his native Utah on Saturday, TMZ said
- Brimley had been on dialysis while being treated in intensive care in recent days
- He appeared in dozens of movies in the 1970s and 80s as a character actor
- Brimley's big break came in mid-1970s when he landed role on The Waltons
- His credits include roles on cult classics like Cocoon, The Natural, and The Thing
- Brimley also appeared on hit TV shows like Seinfeld and Walker, Texas Ranger
- He became best known as the commercial pitch man for Quaker Oats foods
- Brimley also worked to raise awareness of diabetes after he was diagnosed
Wilford Brimley, the longtime character actor who appeared in such hit films as Cocoon, The Firm, The Natural and The China Syndrome but is best known as the pitch man for Quaker Oats food products, has died. He was 85.
Brimley passed away at his home in his native Utah, TMZ reported.
The news site said that Brimley was on dialysis while being treated in an intensive care unit after his health deteriorated in the final days of his life.
Brimley is seen above speaking at a gala honoring Harrison Ford in Universal City, California, in September 2011
Wilford Brimley (far left), Hume Cronyn (center), and Don Ameche (right) are seen above in the film Cocoon, the 1985 sci-fi comedy drama directed by Ron Howard
Brimley was also known for his public advocacy of diabetes education.
He devoted efforts to raising awareness of the disease after he was diagnosed with diabetes in 1979.
Brimley is survived by his wife, Beverly, and their three children.
A rep close to the family told TMZ that Brimley's favorite quote was one that he found on a blacksmith's sign.
It read: 'There is nothing made, sold, or done that can't be made, sold, or done cheaper.
'If price is your only concern, please do business with my competitor.'
Brimley appeared alongside Tom Cruise in the 1993 thriller The Firm
In 1981, Brimley portrayed Assistant US Attorney James A. Wells in the Sydney Pollack-directed thriller Absence of Malice, starring Paul Newman and Sally Field
Brimley is seen far right alongside Richard Farnsworth (center) and Robert Redford in the 1984 baseball classic The Natural
In 1986 Brimley played a grandfather who cared for his departed son's family on the NBC series Our House. Brimley is pictured above with stars Shannen Doherty (top left); Chad Allen (top right); Deidre Hall (second row right); and Keri Houlihan (bottom left)
Anthony Wilford Brimley was born in Salt Lake City on September 27, 1934. He dropped out of high school and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
During his military service, Brimley spent three years in the Aleutian Islands.
After re-entering civilian life, Brimley embarked on an acting career. He made several appearances as an extra in several Western films, including How the West Was Won, Kung Fu, and The Oregon Trail.
His big break came in the mid-1970s, when he was cast in a recurring role in the hit television drama The Waltons.
In 1979, he received his first film credit with an appearance on The China Syndrome.
Brimley played Ted Spindler, a friend of plant shift supervisor Jack Godell, who was portrayed by Jack Lemmon.
Brimley is survived by his wife Beverly (seen right alongside her husband in 2009) and their three children
In 1981, Brimley portrayed Assistant US Attorney James A. Wells in the Sydney Pollack-directed thriller Absence of Malice, starring Paul Newman and Sally Field.
Brimley would go on to make several other appearances in 70s and 80s cult classics like Cocoon, The Natural, The Thing, Hard Target, and over 70 other films.
He also made cameos on hit television series like Walker, Texas Ranger and Seinfeld.
But Brimley was perhaps best known for appearing in commercials for Quaker Oats food products in the 1980s and 1990s.
He also appeared in ads for Liberty Medical, a company that specializes in diabetes testing supplies.
Brimley was diagnosed with diabetes in 1979. Since then, he worked to educate Americans about the disease.
For his efforts to raise awareness of diabetes, he was given a lifetime service award by the American Diabetes Association in 2008.
In recent years, Brimley’s pitchwork for Liberty Mutual had turned him into an internet sensation for his drawn out pronunciation of diabetes as 'diabeetus.'
He owned the pronunciation in a tweet that drew hundreds of thousands of likes earlier this year.
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