Beau Starr, ‘Halloween’ Franchise and ‘Goodfellas’ Actor, Dies at 81

Beau Starr. NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection

Beau Starr, the Halloween franchise actor, has died. He was 81.

Starr’s brother, Mike, told TMZ he died Friday, April 24 in Vancouver, Canada, due to natural causes.

Before delving into the entertainment industry, he was a professional football player for the New York Jets, the Montreal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 1980, he starred in a play at the American Theater of Actors, and earned his first television credit in 1979 on Bizarre.

From there, Starr pursued work in both TV and film, appearing in a 1983 episode of Three’s Company; the Steve Martin-starring comedy The Lonely Guy; The A-Team (1983-1985); The Fall Guy (1983-1986); Fletch (1985); and an episode of Highway to Heaven in 1988.

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Starr joined the Halloween film universe in 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, where he portrayed Sheriff Ben Meeker. He returned for the franchise’s fifth entry, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, where he reprised his earlier role.

In 1990, he also acted in Goodfellas, playing the father to Ray Liotta’s character Henry Hill. Christopher Serrone, who portrayed the younger version of Henry in the Oscar-winning film, penned a tribute on Instagram in honor of Starr on Saturday.

“It is with a heavy heart Im here to inform everyone of the very sad passing of Beau Starr. [Mike Starr] asked me to make the announcement,” he wrote. “Beau enjoyed a rich a meaningful life. He was a son, brother, father, grandfather, actor and NFL/CFL player. Please take a moment to help me remember a great guy. RIP.”

Starr appeared in a plethora of other projects, including a starring turn in NBC’s crime drama series True Blue through its 12-episode run. His additional credits include 2000 Malibu Road, Bad Blood, Speed, NYPD Blue, Leap Years, Doc, Final Days on Planet Earth and Psych.