'Little House on the Prairie' star Cliff Emmich passes away at 85
Dec 04, 2022
Washington [US], December 4 : 'Little House on the Prairie' and 'Payday' actor Cliff Emmich passed away at the age of 85 after he lost his battle with lung cancer.
The news of his demise was confirmed by Emmich's representative to Fox News, a US-based news outlet.
"My client and friend for over fifty years lost his battle with lung cancer... He passed at his home in Valley Village on Monday," his rep said in a statement quoted in a report by Fox News.
The jovial actor was raised in Los Angeles, California, and was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1936.
He was given the name Clifford after his father, a well-known exotic automobile dealer who catered to celebrities like Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Ozzie Nelson. He joined the Air Force as a photo technician after graduating from John Muir High School in 1955 with his class.
Emmich next attended classes at the Pasadena Playhouse before touring the nation with the American Repertory Players. He spent the summer giving performances at Jackson Hole, Wyoming's Pink Garter Theatre.
According to Fox News, throughout his career, the actor appeared in more than 90 movies and TV shows, making his screen debut in 1969's Gaily, Gaily. He was best remembered for playing Chicago in the 1973 movie 'Payday,' which featured Rip Torn's honky tonk singer Maury Dann riding in the backseat of a Cadillac automobile.
Alongside co-stars Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, Emmich went on to play a Western Union security guard in the 1974 movie 'Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.'
In 'Halloween II' in 1981, Emmich kept the security guard job he had previously played.
In the two-part 'Fonzie's Funeral' episode of 'Happy Days' from 1979, he also had the role of 'The Candy Man,' a forger.
As per a report by Fox News, Michael Landon created a part, especially for Emmich for the fifth season of 'Little House on the Prairie.' In the episode 'The Man Inside,' he portrayed a middle-aged guy who was shy and embarrassed and whose daughter despised him. He apparently considered it to be one of his favourite parts.
In addition to these, the adored actor starred in 'Barracuda,' 'Starsky and Hutch,' 'Murder, She Wrote,' and 'Walker, Texas Ranger.'
