Movie Talk A Discussion area for everything movie related including films In The Theaters

RIP Paul Gleason

Old 05-28-06, 06:10 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Kingwood, TX
Posts: 442
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
RIP Paul Gleason

Nobody will ever miss with the bull again.


Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.

Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.

"Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. "He was awesome."

A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s.

Gleason honed his acting skills with his mentor Lee Strasberg, whom he studied with at the Actors Studio beginning in the mid-1960s, family members said.

Though his career, Gleason appeared in over 60 movies that included "Die Hard," "Johnny Be Good," and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." Most recently, Gleason made a handful of television appearances in hit shows such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld."

Gleason's passions went beyond acting. He had recently published a book of poetry.

"He was an athlete, an actor and a poet," said his daughter, Shannon Gleason-Grossman. "He gave me and my sister a love that is beyond description that will be with us and keep us strong for the rest of our lives."

Actor Jimmy Hawkins, a friend of Gleason's since the 1960s, said he remembered Gleason for a sharp sense of humor.

"He just always had great stories to tell," Hawkins said.

Gleason was survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Funeral plans were pending.
Old 05-28-06, 06:16 PM
  #2  
Inane Thread Master, 2018 TOTY
 
OldBoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Are any of us really anywhere?
Posts: 49,295
Received 888 Likes on 751 Posts
he was such a go to guy. in so much. he will be missed.
Old 05-28-06, 06:26 PM
  #3  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: H-Town, TX
Posts: 3,662
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Not Clarence Beaks! Damn it, I'll miss him.
Old 05-28-06, 06:32 PM
  #4  
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Right now, my location is DVDTalk, but then again, you should already know that, shouldn't you?
Posts: 6,364
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
He played "The Man" like no one else; sorry to see him go so young.
Old 05-28-06, 06:46 PM
  #5  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Los Angeles , California
Posts: 3,596
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I was at a Dodger game when I was kid, and Paul was sitting near my family. My brother and I went over to him to get an autograph, and was really cool about it. Paul.
Old 05-28-06, 07:16 PM
  #6  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Central Jersey
Posts: 1,195
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
"I expected a little more from a varsity letterman."

Sad to hear this.
Old 05-28-06, 07:46 PM
  #7  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
IDrinkMolson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: DE
Posts: 5,126
Received 866 Likes on 390 Posts
Dwayne T. Robinson: They're gonna need some more FBI guys, I guess.
Old 05-28-06, 07:49 PM
  #8  
Moderator
 
Groucho's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posts: 71,383
Received 122 Likes on 84 Posts
Sad. I just saw a recent interview with him, and he looked to be in good shape.
Old 05-28-06, 08:33 PM
  #9  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Mondo Kane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 11,660
Received 112 Likes on 100 Posts
Originally Posted by Filmmaker
He played "The Man" like no one else; sorry to see him go so young.
That he did. RIP

Stunning news.
Old 05-28-06, 09:21 PM
  #10  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Charlie Goose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Sesame Street (the apt. next to Bob's)
Posts: 20,195
Likes: 0
Received 5 Likes on 5 Posts
He's cracking skulls in heaven now.
Old 05-28-06, 09:24 PM
  #11  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Rest in peace.

Loved his self-spoof in "Not Another Teen Movie"
Old 05-29-06, 12:02 AM
  #12  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Mountain Biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 3,416
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sad news indeed.

RIP Principal Vernon
Old 05-29-06, 02:00 AM
  #13  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: london
Posts: 1,652
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
This is indeed sad news.
Just checked imdb, and he was nearly in every show going!
Great actor in Die hard and Breakfast club.
"he could be a fucking bartender for all we know!"
"You want another one-thats 2-how about another?"
Old 05-29-06, 10:32 AM
  #14  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 6,535
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Very sad news

And I forgot how many great one liners he had!
Old 05-29-06, 11:21 AM
  #15  
Banned
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 794
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Steam
Loved his self-spoof in "Not Another Teen Movie"
"Shut your hole, Wang Chung. I got all three of you guys for the rest of your natural born lives. You're mine."

The guy's delivery was untouchable. That's a fact.
Old 05-29-06, 11:39 AM
  #16  
Fok
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Fok's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Canada, BC
Posts: 6,691
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
sad news
Old 05-29-06, 03:24 PM
  #17  
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 15,957
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Dammit. I was hoping for a commentary from him on the Ewoks movie.

RIP.
Old 05-29-06, 04:10 PM
  #18  
DVD Talk Legend
 
astrochimp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 17,810
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
I hope Barry Manilow will lend the family a suit to bury him in.

RIP Principal Vernon
Old 05-29-06, 04:23 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 595
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Best line ever. "Hold on a second. (Turns to person waiting to use pay phone.) "Fuck off."
Old 05-29-06, 05:31 PM
  #20  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
DeanoBKN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 5,386
Received 23 Likes on 18 Posts
Originally Posted by Sanitarium
Best line ever. "Hold on a second. (Turns to person waiting to use pay phone.) "Fuck off."
Classic! He will be sadly missed
Old 05-29-06, 09:35 PM
  #21  
DVD Talk Legend
 
matome's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: NY
Posts: 12,304
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
I just happened to watch The Breakfast Club this afternoon on a plane trip. Just saw the news
Old 05-29-06, 09:52 PM
  #22  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Larryville, GA
Posts: 2,200
Received 11 Likes on 9 Posts
Originally Posted by Charlie Goose
He's cracking skulls in heaven now.
You summed it up beautifully. Farewell Paul. Die Hard, Trading Places, The Breakfast Club... all classic movies and all classic roles.
Old 05-29-06, 10:54 PM
  #23  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Troy Stiffler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Under an I-10 Overpass
Posts: 25,783
Received 362 Likes on 262 Posts
Awe.

Well, I always think of Die Hard first.

Regardless, he was a cool actor.
Old 05-30-06, 09:03 AM
  #24  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
inri222's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 50,673
Received 182 Likes on 120 Posts
http://www.cinematical.com/2006/05/2...liant-bastard/

The Passing of a Brilliant Bastard
Posted May 28th 2006 11:30PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Obits & Memorials

I distinctly remember the first time Paul Gleason made me laugh out loud. It was in John Landis' 1983 classic Trading Places, and the surly character actor was playing a mysterious corporate spy called Clarence Beeks. In one particularly memorable scene, Beeks is trying to make a private call on a public phone, so he turns to the person standing in line behind him and says, in a humorously venomous tone: "F*** off." Later in the comedy he got to utter a line I've always adored: "Back off or I'll rip out your eyes and piss on your brain!"

And just like that I was a Paul Gleason fan.

Although he'd appeared in bit parts in The Great Santini (1979), Fort Apache the Bronx (1981), Arthur (1981), and Tender Mercies (1983), it was Trading Places that turned Mr. Gleason from just another stern-faced character actor into one of my generation's most beloved bastards. So while Mr. Gleason was obviously a very talented and multi-faceted actor, his face, his tone, his demeanor, and (especially) his voice seemed to indicate "smug bully," and that's where he buttered his bread.


Trading Places led to The Breakfast Club ("I'm crackin' skulls!"), which led to Die Hard ("We're gonna need some more FBI guys..."), which led to a movie/TV career that most character players would kill for. He had a presence that simply screamed "officious blowhard jerk," and very few performers used that vibe as well as Gleason did. (His Die Hard co-star, Bill Atherton, certainly came close.) Mr. Gleason obviously had a solid sense of humor regarding his image, evidence of which can be found in comedies like Loaded Weapon 1, Van Wilder, and especially Not Another Teen Movie, in which he expertly lampooned his immortal Breakfast Club performance. Like most working actors, Paul Gleason also appeared in his fair share of lame-o movies and forgettable TV shows, but he always brought a tongue-in-cheek intensity to his every project.

Mr. Gleason died Sunday of a rare case of asbestos-related lung cancer, and the news just sucked the fun out of my holiday weekend. Movie fans have lost a brilliant bastard this weekend, and I plan to hold my own private Paul Gleason festival in the man's honor. Rest in peace, Principal Vernon. You will be missed.
Old 05-30-06, 09:38 AM
  #25  
DVD Talk Legend
 
raven56706's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Back in the Good Ole USA
Posts: 21,766
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
so sad......

"Dont mess with the bull or you'll get the horns"

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.