Brian Dennehy Mourned by Former Co-Star Russell Crowe: ‘He Was Good Company’

The entertainment industry lost actor Brian Dennehy on Wednesday night. A report by TMZ said the 81-year-old that he died of natural causes in his home in Connecticut. Dennehy was known for his roles in Tommy Boy and First Blood. He also appeared in his early acting days on television shows like Kojak, M.A.S.H., and Dallas.

One of his more distinguished roles was when he took home a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in the TV movie Death of a Salesman in 2001. With a career spanning multiple mediums and decades, Dennehy left an impact on many in the business. One of them is actor Russell Crowe, who shared a post on Twitter in the wake of his death in which he wrote that it “was a privilege to work with him.”

As Crowe mentioned, the two worked together on the set of The Next Three Days. The 2010 thriller saw Crowe in the leading role as John Brennan and Dennehy as George Brennan. The movie’s writer and director, Paul Haggis, shared in an interview with Den of Geek that he was unsure whether or not Dennehy would accept the part due to him having just two lines in the entire film. “I thought Brian wouldn’t do it. I’ve always wanted to work with him. I’d seen him, obviously, in a lot of movies, but also watched him while on Broadway, and he’s one of our finest actors. And when I thought of this, trying to cast this, he was the first person I thought of.”

Haggis said Dennehy did such an excellent job in his part despite the limited speaking lines. “I’m so glad he did. He brought such a depth to that character.”

In addition to Crowe, another former co-star of Dennehy, David Spade, also paid tribute to the late actor on his social media. It was Sylvester Stallone, however, who delivered the most tender moment when speaking about Dennehy: “The great actor Brian Dennehy has passed away,” Stallone wrote on Instagram. “He simply was a great actor… He also was a Vietnam vet that helped me very much building the character of Rambo. The world has lost a great artist.”