Longtime actor Ned Beatty -- known for his roles in such films as Superman, Deliverance and Network, just to name a few -- has passed away. He was 83 years old.
Beatty's passing was confirmed by his manager, Deborah Miller, who says that he died of natural causes in his sleep this morning while surrounded by his friends and family. "Ned was an iconic, legendary talent, as well as a dear friend, and he will be missed by us all," Miller told Deadline.
Born on July 6, 1937, Beatty began his stage acting career in 1956, when he was 19 years old. The actor went on to make his feature film debut in 1972, when he appeared as Bobby Trippe in director John Boorman's film Deliveranceopposite Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds. Beatty went on to play Arthur Jensen in the 1976 film Network, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the process. In 1978, he appeared in Superman: The Movie as Lex Luthor's (Gene Hackman) henchman, Otis. Beatty reprised his role as Otis in 1980's Superman II.
Beatty also appeared in such films as Silver Streak, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Rudy, Just Cause and Shooter. In addition to physical appearances, the actor lent his voice to a couple of animated productions, playing Tortoise John in Rangoand Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear, aka Lotso, in Toy Story 3. In total, Beatty racked up over 160 screen credits over the course of his career.
Beatty is survived by his wife, Sandra Johnson, as well as his eight children and grandchildren.
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