Tony Todd

Tony Todd was born Anthony Tiran Todd in Washington, D.C., on December 4, 1954, the son of Evetta Lyons Gaither. According to The Telegraph, his mother was going through difficulties and the family arranged for him to be raised from the age of three by an aunt, Clara Elliston, in Hartford, Connecticut. She worked as a cleaner and would take him to the houses she cleaned, where he stayed in the library reading. "I loved books at an early age, so I was content," he said. He attended Hartford Public High School and was an alumnus of the Artists Collective, a Hartford arts organisation.

Todd studied at the University of Connecticut, then trained as an actor at the Eugene O'Neill National Theater Institute in Waterford, Connecticut, and at the Trinity Repertory Company conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island. His first professional acting job was with Modern Times Theatre, a travelling political theatre company, before he moved to New York to work on stage.

Todd was cast as Sergeant Warren in Oliver Stone's Platoon (1986) after the film's casting director saw him on stage in New York. He moved to Los Angeles as the film opened and worked steadily in film and television, with roles in Colors, Bird and Lean on Me and guest parts on 21 Jump Street, Night Court, MacGyver, Matlock, Law & Order, The X-Files, NYPD Blue and Murder, She Wrote.

In the Star Trek universe he played Kurn, Worf's brother, on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, the adult Jake Sisko in the Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor", and an Alpha Hirogen on Voyager. He starred as Ben in the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead.

Candyman (1992) made him a horror icon. He played the role four times, through Farewell to the Flesh (1995), Day of the Dead (1999) and the 2021 film directed by Nia DaCosta. He was Grange in The Crow (1994), appeared in The Rock (1996) and Wishmaster (1997), and from 2000 played William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise through Final Destination Bloodlines (2025).

His long television career included two different characters on 24, a recurring role as news reporter Matt Rhodes on Homicide: Life on the Street, Lord Haikon on Stargate SG-1, roles on Boston Public, Chuck, The Young and the Restless and Scream. As a voice actor he was the Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Half-Life: Alyx, the Fallen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Zoom on The Flash, Darkseid in DC animated films, Venom in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Locus in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. He also worked on and off Broadway, including Aida and August Wilson's King Hedley II.

Todd married Fatima Cortez in 1986. They had two children, a daughter, Ariana, and a son, Alexander. Wikipedia lists a brother, Donald W. Todd, who died before him, and a half-sister, the actress Monique Dupree. His representative Jeffrey Goldberg described him as a friend and client of more than 30 years. Deadline noted his warm laugh and generous spirit, which belied his imposing appearance.

Todd described himself as a theatre actor first and foremost and said he kept books and sketch pads for every character he played, deliberately making each role different from the last. He spoke often about Candyman's meaning for Black audiences, saying the character represented empowerment and was attractive to the dissatisfied and the disenfranchised. He said he admired the 1968 Night of the Living Dead because it featured a strong Black character in a situation that did not call attention to his race, and he spoke publicly against film piracy, saying it hurt actors and independent filmmakers.

Todd is widely remembered as one of the great figures of modern horror, a character actor who brought classical stage training and real humanity to monsters. Candyman in particular has been studied for its treatment of race, history and urban myth. His voice work across games and animation reached a new generation, and Insomniac Games' reported plans for a Venom spin-off were said to have been shelved after his death. Final Destination Bloodlines and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle were both dedicated to him, and Bludworth's improvised farewell lines are often quoted as his own goodbye.

Fangoria Chainsaw Award nomination for Best Actor, Candyman (1993). Helen Hayes Award nomination for The Captain's Tiger. Critics' Choice Super Award nomination for Best Villain in a Movie, Candyman (2022). British Academy Games Award nomination for Performer in a Supporting Role, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (2024).

Selected film: Platoon (1986), Colors (1988), Bird (1988), Lean on Me (1989), Night of the Living Dead (1990), Candyman (1992), The Crow (1994), Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), The Rock (1996), Wishmaster (1997), Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999), Final Destination (2000), Final Destination 2 (2003), Hatchet (2006), Minotaur (2006), The Man from Earth (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009, voice), Final Destination 5 (2011), Frankenstein (2015), Hell Fest (2018), Candyman (2021), Final Destination Bloodlines (2025).

Selected television: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Homicide: Life on the Street, 24, Stargate SG-1, Boston Public, Chuck, The Flash (voice), Scream.

Selected games: Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Half-Life: Alyx (Vortigaunts), Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (Venom), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Locus).

When he signed on to Final Destination Bloodlines, Todd privately told the producers he had terminal stomach cancer. During filming in early 2024 they allowed him to improvise Bludworth's final words: "Life is precious, enjoy every single second. You never know when... Good luck." He died peacefully at his home in Marina del Rey, California, at 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, aged 69, according to his representative Jeffrey Goldberg. His wife, Fatima, told The Hollywood Reporter he had died after a long illness. His co-stars Nadji Jeter and Yuri Lowenthal from Marvel's Spider-Man 2 attended his funeral, and Virginia Madsen paid a tearful tribute to "my beloved Candyman".