Beau Starr, well-known for Goodfellas, dies at 81

Veteran Hollywood actor Beau Starr, best known for his roles in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, the Halloween film franchise and the television drama Due South, has died at the age of 81.

Veteran actor Beau Starr has passed away

His death was confirmed by his younger brother, actor Mike Starr, who said he passed away peacefully of natural causes at his home in Vancouver, Canada, on April 24. The news was first reported by TMZ on Saturday.

Starr’s passing has prompted tributes from across the entertainment industry, with colleagues and fans remembering him as one of Hollywood’s most dependable character actors whose work spanned more than four decades.

Born in Queens, New York, on September 1, 1944, Starr initially pursued a career in professional sport before entering acting. He spent time with the New York Jets’ practice squad and later played two seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats before shifting his focus to the screen.

His career and legacy

He began his acting career in the late 1970s and steadily built a reputation as a reliable supporting performer. His breakthrough film appearances included roles in Hanky Panky and Summer School, but he became widely recognised for playing Sheriff Ben Meeker in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. His performances in the horror franchise made him a familiar face to genre fans.

Mainstream audiences also remember Starr for his role as Henry Hill’s father in Scorsese’s 1990 mob classic Goodfellas, a film widely regarded as one of cinema’s defining crime dramas. He later appeared in films including Speed, Devil in a Blue Dress and Cinderella Man.

On television, Starr enjoyed one of his longest-running roles as Lieutenant Harding Welsh in the Canadian-American police series Due South, appearing across multiple seasons between 1994 and 1999. His extensive television credits also included appearances in Knight Rider, The A-Team, MacGyver, Night Court and NYPD Blue.

Mike Starr described his brother as “very unique and special”, adding that Beau had played a major role in helping raise him and had a lasting influence on his life.

Starr is survived by his family and leaves behind a screen legacy that stretched across more than 130 film and television productions