As a huge fan of both Whitney Rydbeck‘s acting and his contributions to promoting seat belt safety through the iconic crash test dummy commercials, I am deeply saddened by the news of his passing. His unique blend of physical comedy and talent for mime made him a standout in various TV shows and films throughout the years.
Actors Whitney Rydbeck, known for his roles as the final paintball victim in “Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI” and one of the original crash test dummies in a renowned seat belt safety campaign, passed away at the age of 79.
On Monday, McLaughlin, a long-term friend and director of “Jason Lives,” confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Rydbeck passed away in Chatsworth, California, due to complications from prostate cancer while receiving hospice care.
“Not just a hilarious comic and gifted thespian, but an exceptionally kind-hearted person I had the pleasure of knowing, was taken from us,” McLoughlin expressed in a heartfelt Instagram tribute.
During his active career, the tall and slender Rydbeck made appearances on numerous TV programs. He graced the screens of shows like “The Brady Bunch,” “Phyllis,” “M*A*S*H,” “Cagney & Lacey,” and “Highway to Heaven.” Additionally, he was featured in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Sisters,” “Living Single,” “Party of Five,” and “Scrubs.”
In the sixth installment of the “Friday the 13th” series, which came out in 1986, Tom Rydbeck gave a humorous portrayal of Roy. Wearing safety glasses over his regular spectacles, Roy encountered the masked assailant in the forest during a corporate paintball event. Despite attempting to escape, his fate was sealed.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Tommy McLoughlin (@tommy.mcloughlin)
Just like Jason, Rydbeck, and Tony Reitano put on masks, but not for acting in a film, instead they assumed the roles of Larry and Vince during automobile collisions. Their recklessness led them to forego seatbelts, resulting in severe injuries as they were tossed about in crashes. However, their bravery provided researchers with precious information regarding passenger safety.
The comedic advertisement series that first aired in 1985 ended with the catchphrase, “A Dummy Can Teach You a Thing or Two.”
Born on March 13, 1945, in Los Angeles, Whitney Rydbeck is a native of California. For his education, he first went to Pasadena High School before moving on to Pasadena City College. Ultimately, he earned a degree in theater from Cal State Fullerton.
Around the early 1970s, he became a part of both the Richmond Shepard Mime Troupe and the L.A. Mime Company, which was established by McLoughlin. McLoughlin commented that he was an ideal fit for these groups due to his exceptional talent in physical comedy.
In 1970, Rydbeck first appeared on television in an episode of “Nanny and the Professor.” Later, he teamed up with McLoughlin to showcase their mime talents as silent robots in Woody Allen’s film “Sleeper,” released in 1973.
By the end of the decade, Rydbeck made appearances in “Love at First Bite” starring George Hamilton (1979), “Rocky II,” which was directed by Sylvester Stallone (1979), and Steven Spielberg’s “1941” (1979).
In 1979, he played the role of a taxi driver who stumbled upon a robot supposedly hailing from another planet on the NBC children’s program “Whitney and the Robot”.
In addition to his resume, he listed his involvement in the movies “Oliver & Company” from 1988 and “A Very Brady Sequel” from 1996. He also mentioned his appearances on television shows such as “Lassie,” “Switch,” “7th Heaven,” “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” and “Far Out Space Nuts.”
Lately, he has been instructing drama classes at Pasadena City College. Among those who carry on are his long-term partner, Claire, for over a decade.
In an interview with The Washington Post in 2010, Rydbeck revealed that it took approximately 45 minutes for him and Reitano to put on their costumes for the Department of Transportation’s crash test commercials. These masks fully concealed their heads, preventing them from hearing, seeing, or speaking clearly. (Jack Burns provided the voice for Vince, while Lorenzo Music voiced Larry.)
In the tale, Rydbeck quipped that he had concerns that at some point, a headline in the papers might read, “Crash Test Actor Passes Away Despite Failing to Fasten Seatbelt.”
“I always buckle up, I’ll tell you that,” he said.
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2024-07-20 21:54