Michael Parks, a prolific character actor in movies such as "Kill Bill" and "Tusk," died Tuesday at age 77.
Parks was born in Corona, California, where he picked fruit, dug ditches, and drove trucks until his film career took off in 1961 when he landed a role on "The Real McCoys," according to Variety.
After parts in many movies, Parks’ career had a late surge when he began working with directors such as Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez, Variety noted. Most famously, Parks played Earl McGraw and Esteban Vihaio in the first two "Kill Bill" movies. He also played a fire and brimstone pastor in 2011’s "Red State."
Kevin Smith called Parks "the best actor I've ever known" and his "cinematic muse," Variety reported. Smith said he wrote "Red State" and "Tusk" specifically for Parks.
Tarantino went on to cast Parks in his "Grindhouse" movies and "Django Unchained" after his appearances in the first "Kill Bill" movies. Parks also had roles in Ben Affleck's "Argo" and the TV show "Twin Peaks."
At the time of his death, Parks had been cast in Christian Bale’s upcoming movie "Hostiles."
No cause of death was given. Parks is survived by wife Oriana and son James.
Twitter fans commemorated Parks by remembering some of his roles.
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