Ned Beatty, the actor who played Otis’ character in the first Superman movie and was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Arthur Jensen on The Unrelenting World Network, has died of natural causes aged 83.
According to TMZ, the interpreter died on Sunday, June 13. “Ned passed away in his sleep. He was surrounded by relatives in his house,” said a source close to the publication. The actor’s family clarified that his death is not related to the coronavirus.
Born on July 6, 1937, in Louisville, Beatty made his big screen debut in 1972 as Bobby in Defense, a film in which he shared shots with Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds. Later he participated in titles such as The Last American Hero with Jeff Bridges; The traffickers, where he met Reynolds again; All the president’s men or Superman.
In addition, he portrayed Arthur Jensen on Network Unrelenting World, the satire on the world of journalism directed by Sidney Lumet. A job that earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in 1977, although the award ultimately went to Jason Robards for his role in All the President’s Men.
He also participated in episodes of popular television series such as M.A.S.H., A Murder Has Been Written, Roseanne, Hawaii 5-0, C.S.I. o Law and order. He was nominated for an Emmy on two occasions for Last Train Home and On Fire, in addition to being a Golden Globe nominee for his work on Someday I’ll Find You.
In the last years of his career he appeared in Charlie Wilson’s War, In the Center of the Storm or The Demon Under the Skin, in addition to giving voice to Lotso in Toy Story 3. His last work dates from 2013, when he participated in the film Light of luggage.