Al Strobel, who played Phillip Gerard in the drama Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 83. His death was announced in a Facebook post on Dec. 3 by producer and long-time David Lynch collaborator, Sabrina Sutherland. The post read: “I am sad to have to post that Al Strobel passed away last night. I loved him dearly.” Strobel overcame odds, including losing his left arm in a car accident when he was 17. He appeared in every iteration of Twin Peaks as “the One-Armed Man,” a.k.a. Phillip Michael Gerard, a man passed by a spirit named “Mike.” Strobel’s performances were riveting.
In addition to the series, he also appeared in films including 1990’s Megaville with Billy Zane, and Ricochet River alongside Kate Hudson. He retired by the early 2000s but reprised his role as Gerard in Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017.
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The co-creator of the series, Mark Frost, was one of the first to pay tribute to Strobel in a touching tribute on Twitter. He wrote: “Oh no…Dear Al…as those of you lucky enough to have met him over the years, what a warm and wonderful gentleman he was. RIP, friend.”
Dana Ashbrook, who starred as Bobby Briggs in the series added: “Sad, sad news…love Al. He was the sweetest of men.”
Producer Harley Peyton also expressed his condolences, writing: “As authentic an actor as I ever met. So precise so real. RIP. Al,” he wrote.
Twin Peaks premiered on ABC in 1990, and ran for two seasons for 30 episodes. The show returned in 2017 for a third season, which featured 18 episodes.
