Denis Arndt, an actor known for his roles in TV shows like “L.A. Law,” “Picket Fences,” and “Chicago Hope,” and for receiving a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut at age 77 in a play about two mismatched lovers, has passed away. He was 86.
Arndt passed away “peacefully in his bed” at his cabin in Ashland, Oregon, according to an obituary published on March 26. The obituary mentioned that Arndt was born in 1939, the same year “The Wizard of Oz” was released.
The obituary described his life: “That was like Dad’s life. It started out in black and white and blossomed into a life of color, brilliance, daring adventure and passion. And it was also a little bit trippy, like Oz.”
Arndt was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, where he earned two Purple Hearts, and later flew helicopters in Alaska. He began acting after moving to Seattle, where he spent many seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and performed with the Intiman Theatre in Seattle.
His acting career started in the mid-1980s with roles in TV shows like “Crime Story” and “Wiseguy.” He spent the 1990s working in TV and film, with a standout role as one of the cops interrogating Sharon Stone’s character in the movie “Basic Instinct” by Paul Verhoeven.
Arndt made his Broadway debut at 77 years old, performing alongside Mary-Louise Parker in “Heisenberg.”
Denis Arnd in an eventThe play, which was first shown off-Broadway in 2015 before moving to Broadway in 2016, was well-received. In it, Arndt played Alex, a 75-year-old Irish butcher, who meets Georgie, a 42-year-old woman from New Jersey, in a London train station. The two develop a strange relationship.
The Associated Press praised the play and the actors: “He captures new love and old love at the same time, hope and fear, the new world and the old. He’s turned the simplest of tales — boy meets girl — into an unexpectedly rich thing with just two chairs, two tables, and two actors.”
Arndt worked frequently with TV writer and producer David E. Kelley, starting with “L.A. Law” and later portraying lawyer Franklin Dell on “Picket Fences” for four seasons. He also appeared on TV shows like “Chicago Hope,” “Ally McBeal,” “The Practice,” “Boston Public,” “Boston Legal,” and “Mr. Mercedes.”
His other TV appearances include roles in “Providence,” “The Wonder Years,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Life Goes On,” “Herman’s Head,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The Good Fight.”
Arndt is survived by his wife, Magee, and his children: Scott, Tammy, Laurie, Kirsten, Bryce, McKenna, and Tanner.
