Posted in: Movies | Tagged: argo, entertainment, film, kevin smith, michael parks, red state, Tusk

Michael Parks, The Man Who Played Jack Kirby, Passes Away

Published Wed, 10 May 2017 11:25:19 -0500

Kevin Smith has announced the passing of actor Michael Parks at the age of 77. Smith refers to Parks as his cinematic muse. Parks has played a diverse array of characters over his career that go back to the early sixties where he appeared on Gunsmoke, the Untouchables and the Detectives. He appeared in the second season of Twin Peaks as Jean Renault and was consistently working up until the end. Some of his most recent work was appearing as Howard Howe in Tusk and as comic artist Jack Kirby in Argo.

Smith's post about Parks may be the most fitting tribute of all.

I hate to report that my cinematic muse #michaelparks has passed away. Michael was, and will likely forever remain, the best actor I've ever known. I wrote both #RedState and @tuskthemovie FOR Parks, I loved his acting so much. He was, hands-down, the most incredible thespian I ever had the pleasure to watch perform. And Parks brought out the absolute best in me every time he got near my set. From the moment I saw him steal the opening scene of #fromdusktildawn at an advance screening at the Sunset 5 back in the mid-90's, I said to @samosier "Could you imagine what it must be like to work with a Yoda of acting like that guy? I gotta write for him one day." It took me 15 years but my dream came true on Red State (for which Parks won Best Actor at the @sitgesfestival) and then again years later with #tusk. Only Michael Parks could have delivered the line "Is man indeed a walrus at heart?" and make it scary as fuck. My favorite memory of Michael is watching him and #johnnydepp act with and at each other, like a couple of dueling wizards, in their shared scene in Tusk. Parks was in Heaven that day, sharing the screen with another brilliant actor and creating an unforgettable performance. He elevated any flick or TV show he was in and elevated every director he ever acted for. I was so fucking blessed to have worked with this bonafide genius. But really, I was just lucky to have known him at all. My heart goes out to James (Michael's son), Oriana (Michael's wife), Quentin Tarantino (Michael's biggest fan) and any movie or music lover who was ever dazzled by the talents of Michael Parks. Farewell, old friend. I'll see you farther along… #KevinSmith #actor #genius #rip #walrusyes

A post shared by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on May 10, 2017 at 8:13am PDT

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