Denis Arndt

Denis Arndt
Denis Arndt
Born	February 23, 1939; Issaquah, Washington, U.S.
Died	March 25, 2025 (aged 86); Ashland, Oregon, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1974–2018
Spouse	Marjorie Arveson (m. 1957; div. 1980) Magee Downey (m. 1980)
Children	7

Denis Leroy Arndt (February 23, 1939 – March 25, 2025) was an American actor, best known for his starring role as Alex Priest in the play Heisenberg for which he earned a 2017 Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play.^[1]

Life and career

Denis Arndt served in the Vietnam War as a United States Army helicopter pilot, earning a Purple Heart and Commendation Medal. After the war, Arndt flew helicopters in Alaska for several years before completing a degree at the University of Washington. He joined the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon where he completed 15 seasons and was a charter member of Seattle's Intiman Theatre.^[2]

After Kenneth Welsh exited rehearsals of the play Heisenberg, Arndt was cast and joined the Manhattan Theater Club's production, which opened June 3, 2015.^[3] The production moved to Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on October 13, 2016.^[4]

Arndt had also appeared in guest roles on a number of television shows including The Good Fight, Grey's Anatomy, Supernatural and Vanished. He had a regular role on Annie McGuire and recurring roles on Picket Fences and L.A. Law. He appeared in films including Basic Instinct and How to Make an American Quilt.

Arndt died on March 25, 2025, at the age of 86.^[5]^[6]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role
1974	The Magical World of Disney	John Peterson
1988	Distant Thunder	Larry
1992	Basic Instinct	Lieutenant Phillip Walker
1992	We're Talking Serious Money	Jacubick
1995	How to Make an American Quilt	James
1997	Metro	Captain Frank Solis
1997	Payback	Neil Stanfill
2000	Blast	Sheriff
2002	Undisputed	Warden Lipscom
2002	Dead Heat	Dr. Ivan Barnes
2003	S.W.A.T.	Sergeant Howard
2004	Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid	CEO
2004	Sniper 3	CIA Director Bill Avery
2006	Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil	CIA Director Weylon Armitage
2006	Bandidas	Ashe
2014	Dolphin Tale 2	Dennis / Disabled Vet
2018	Mr. Mercedes	Merrill D. Shields

Television


Year	Title	Role	Notes
1974	The Magical World of Disney	John Peterson	Episode: Runaway on the Rogue River
1986	Crime Story	Mr. Al Novak	3 Episodes
1988	Wiseguy	Walker	Episode: Dirty Little Wars
1988	TV 101	Officer Checker	Episode: Rolling
1988-1989	Annie McGuire	Nick McGuire	10 Episodes
1989	The Wonder Years	Mr. Tyler	Episode: Walk Out
1989	Mancuso, F.B.I.	Ambassador Burton Kessler	Episode: Suspicious Minds
1989	Till We Meet Again	Swede Castelli	2 Episodes
1989-1990	Life Goes On	Earl/Coach Delano	2 Episodes
1990	Murder, She Wrote	Lt. Vincent Palermo	Episode: Murder, According to Maggie
1990	Columbo	Paul Mackey	Episode: Agenda For Murder
1990-1991	L.A. Law	Jack Sollers	11 Episodes
1991	Stat	Dr. Deardorf	Episode: High Society
1991	Herman's Head	Russell Boswell	Episode: Fear and Loathing in Manhattan
1992	Cruel Doubt	Leith Von Stein	2 Episodes
1993	Bodies of Evidence	Harris Devlin	3 Episodes
1993	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Dr. Sam Lane	Episode: Requiem for a Superhero
1993-1996	Picket Fences	Franklin Dell	14 Episodes
1994	SeaQuest 2032	Navy Quartermaster Bickle	2 Episodes
1996	The Beast	Osborne Manning	2 Episodes
1996	The Burning Zone	Dr. Thurman Rhinehart	Episode: Pilot
1997	Savannah	Martin Corelli	2 Episodes
1997	The Pretender	Nick Avani	Episode: Scott Free
1999	Turks	Glen Williams	Episode: Friends & Strangers
1999	Ally McBeal	Michael Mannix	Episode: The Green Monster
1999	Chicago Hope	Attorney Jason Sollers	Episode: Curing Cancer
1999	Time of Your Life	Archer Fitzwith	3 Episodes
1999	Wasteland	Mr. Baskind	Episode: Thanks For Nothin'
1999-2003	The Practice	Roland Hill/Quentin Reynolds	6 Episodes
2000	Touched By An Angel	Darrell	Episode: A Perfect Game
2000	Get Real	Stewart Green	Episode: History Lessons
2000	The District	Owen Mitchell	Episode: The Real Terrorist
2001	Family Law	Szabo	Episode: Film at Eleven
2001	Citizen Baines	Frank Starr	2 Episodes
2002	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Larry Maddox	Episode: Chasing the Bus
2002	Providence	Dr. Bill Augustine	9 Episodes
2002	For Your Love	Earl	Episode: The Missing Link
2003	Boston Public	A.D.A. Roland Hill	Episode: Chapter Sixty-Two
2003	JAG	Rear Admiral Richard La Porte	Episode: Shifting Sands
2005	24	Don Ashton	Episode: Day 4: 4:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m
2006	Boston Legal	A.D.A. Joshua Wendt	Episode: Can't We All Get A Lung
2006	Vanished	Senator Eugene Collins	2 Episodes
2007	Supernatural	Father Reynolds	Episode: Houses of the Holy
2010	Past Life	Henry	Episode: Regressing Henry
2011	Grey's Anatomy	Colonel Daniel Robbins	Episode: White Wedding
2017	The Good Fight	Ron	Episode: The Schtup List
2018	How To Get Away With Murder	Justice Strickland	Episode: Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
2018	Mr. Mercedes	Merrill D. Shields	Episode: Fade to Blue

Stage


Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	King Lear	King Lear	Oregon Shakespeare Festival
1978	Ballymurphy	Seamus O'Neil	ACT Theatre
1978	Makassar Reef	Weeks Brown	ACT Theatre
1984	The Ballad of Soapy Smith	Soapy Smith	The Public Theater, Off-Broadway
1987	Richard II	Earl of Northumberland	Delacorte Theater, Off-Broadway
2007	The Pillowman	Tupolski	The Studio Theatre
2009	The Seafarer	Lockhart	Artists Repertory Theatre
2010	God of Carnage	Alan Raleigh	Seattle Repertory Theatre
2012	Red	Mark Rothko	Seattle Repertory Theatre
2014	The Tempest	Prospero	Oregon Shakespeare Festival
2014	The Great Society	Appel Daley Wheeler	Oregon Shakespeare Festival
2015	The Night Alive	Maurice	Geffen Playhouse
2016	Heisenberg	Alex Priest	Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway
2017	Fireflies	Abel Brown	Long Wharf Theatre

References

↑ Appleford, Steve (July 6, 2017). "An overnight sensation after 45 years in the biz: Denis Arndt, Mary-Louise Parker's co-star in 'Heisenberg'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
↑ Soloski, Alexis (September 28, 2016). "At 77, He Gets to Woo Mary-Louise Parker". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
↑ Brantley, Ben (June 3, 2015). "Review: 'Heisenberg,' With Mary-Louise Parker, Mines the Extraordinary in the Commonplace". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
↑ Viagas, Robert (13 October 2016). "See What the Critics Thought of Broadway's New Heisenberg". Playbill. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
↑ "Denis Arndt Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information". Legacy.com. March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
↑ Barnes, Mike (March 29, 2025). "Denis Arndt, Tony-Nominated Star of 'Heisenberg' and Actor in David E. Kelley Shows, Dies at 86". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

External links

Denis Arndt at IMDb

[1] Appleford, Steve (July 6, 2017). "An overnight sensation after 45 years in the biz: Denis Arndt, Mary-Louise Parker's co-star in 'Heisenberg'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.

[2] Soloski, Alexis (September 28, 2016). "At 77, He Gets to Woo Mary-Louise Parker". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2017.

[3] Brantley, Ben (June 3, 2015). "Review: 'Heisenberg,' With Mary-Louise Parker, Mines the Extraordinary in the Commonplace". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2017.

[4] Viagas, Robert (13 October 2016). "See What the Critics Thought of Broadway's New Heisenberg". Playbill. Retrieved August 2, 2017.

[5] "Denis Arndt Obituary - Death Notice and Service Information". Legacy.com. March 26, 2025. Retrieved March 28, 2025.

[6] Barnes, Mike (March 29, 2025). "Denis Arndt, Tony-Nominated Star of 'Heisenberg' and Actor in David E. Kelley Shows, Dies at 86". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

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