A Farewell to Tom Noonan

Tom Noonan has unfortunately passed away on February 14 at the age of 74. He was a highly versatile American actor, director, and screenwriter. Standing at 6’5″, he was widely recognised for his imposing physical presence and his ability to portray complex, often menacing villains with a unique sense of stillness and restraint thanks to his soft, less imposing voice.

He is perhaps best known for his iconic portrayals of antagonists and eccentric characters in several cult classics. Working with Michael Mann a few times, the central serial killer in Manhunter (1986) and the hacker who provides the blueprints for the bank heist in Heat (1995). He is also easily recognisable as the main villain in the meta-action film Last Action Hero (1993), the drug kingpin and primary antagonist in RoboCop 2 (1990). He would also pop up in popular TV shows like 12 Monkeys and Hell on Wheels.

Beyond acting, Noonan was an accomplished independent filmmaker and playwright. He founded the Paradise Theatre Company in New York City. His directorial debut, What Happened Was (1994), which he also wrote and starred in, won the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival. He followed this with another acclaimed feature, The Wife (1995).In later years, he provided the voices for “everyone else” (all supporting characters) in the stop-motion film Anomalisa (2015) and appeared in films like Synecdoche, New York (2008) and Wonderstruck (2017). He was also a familiar face on television, with memorable guest roles in The X-Files, The Blacklist, Louie, and became a fan favourite in the horror scene.