Bruce French, a veteran character actor best known for his role as Father Lonigan, the blind priest on the NBC soap opera Passions who could sense evil, has died.
French passed away on Feb. 7 at the age of 79 due to complications with Alzheimer’s disease, with which he was diagnosed four years prior, his wife of 34 years, longtime Days of Our Lives actress Eileen Barnett, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Born in Iowa on July 4, 1945, as the son of a funeral director, French went on to graduate from the University of Iowa, where he first met his bride-to-be, before serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
After studying acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts upon his return, French starred in an off-Broadway production of The Shadow of a Gunman before making his onscreen debut in 1974’s Man on a Swing, starring Cliff Robertson and Joel Grey.
It was the start of a prolific career, which also included the 1978 films Coming Home and Bloodbrothers in addition to 1983’s Christine and Mr. Mom, 1985’s Fletch and Murphy’s Romance, 1986’s Legal Eagles and Wildcats, 2001’s Jurassic Park III, 2002’s Mr. Deeds, 2005’s Thank You for Smoking, and 2010’s Beginners and Beautiful Boy.
French also appeared in numerous TV series beyond Passions, on which he starred from 1999 to 2008. The veteran actor also appeared in episodes of L.A. Law, Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Public, Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Mad Men, Gilmore Girls, House, The West Wing, Night Court, Cheers, Moonlighting, Matlock and more. He also appeared in numerous Star Trek titles, including Enterprise, Voyager and The Next Generation in addition to the 1998 film Star Trek: Insurrection.
