Richard Lynch, B-Movie Veteran, Dead at 76

Richard Lynch, an actor who needs no introduction to those who grew up watching B-movies in the 80’s, passed away on Tuesday at his home in Palm Springs, California. Specific details surrounding his death have not been released. He was 76 years-old.

Best known for his roles in director Albert Pyun’s fantasy epic “Sword and the Sorcerer” and Andrew Fleming’s 1988 horror flick “Bad Dreams”, Lynch made a name for himself playing some of the nastinest villains known to mankind. His menacing presence had a lot to do with the facial scars he received following an incident in 1967. Using this to his advantage, Richard portrayed a number of villains over the years, famously battling Chuck Norris in the 1985 over-the-top action extravaganza “Invasion USA”. Since his on-screen debut in the Al Pacino/Gene Hackman drama “Scarecrow”, Lynch appeared in 160 movies and television programs.

Although his name may not mean much to those who aren’t prone to dabbling in the low-budget, direct-to-video movie market, Lynch is somewhat of a cult figure, particularly with horror buffs. Many of the actor’s fans have traveled from all over the world to meet the guy at various horror conventions, and he seemed to genuinely care about those who followed his work. Shortly before his death, Lynch wrapped production of director/musician Rob Zombie’s upcoming genre effort “Lords of Salem”, a film which is a veritable who’s-who of horror vets.

On a personal note, I’m extremely saddened by Lynch’s passing. When I think of 80’s villains, his image is among the first to pop into my head. I’ve seen “Scanner Cop”, “Invasion USA”, “The Barbarians”, and “Trancers II” more times than I’d care to admit, due in part to the amount of sinister charm the guy brought to his roles.

Not surprisingly, Lynch’s passing hasn’t gone unnoticed by those of us who loved his movies. Below you can find a selection of Twitter reactions to the actor’s death. As you can tell, he was a beloved figure amongst those who gravitate towards the wonkier side of cinema. Have a look at their responses below.