In this Jan. 11, 2011 file photo, actor Ben Gazzara attends The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures awards gala in New York. Gazzara, whose powerful dramatic performances brought an intensity to a variety of roles and made him a memorable presence in films, on television and on Broadway in the original "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," has died at age 81. Longtime family friend Suzanne Mados said Gazzara died Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, in Manhattan after being in hospice care with cancer. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)
NEW YORK — The US actor Ben Gazzara, who enjoyed a long career on Broadway and in Hollywood, died of pancreatic cancer on Friday in Manhattan, the New York Times reported. He was 81.
Gazzara, who starred in films, television and on the stage played Brick in the original Broadway version of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,” originating a tough-guy persona that he would cultivate on the big screen.
In his later years he worked with the Coen brothers in “The Big Lebowski,” in 1998, in the television series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” and more recently in many movies made for television.
Gazzara’s lawyer told the Times that the actor died at a Manhattan hospital.