Monday, March 26, 2012

Charles Rocket

I first noticed Charles Rocket about the same time most of the world did, when he was one of the main actors in the infamously bad 1980-1981 season of Saturday Night Live. It seemed like he was in almost every skit and even though he and the new cast had a tough act to follow (they were the first replacements of the original group) I always enjoyed the work of Charles Rocket.

After he was fired along with most of the cast, he disappeared for a few years only to re-invent himself as a pretty good actor.


From Dances with Wolves to Dumb and Dumber, and many television guest starring roles in between, Charles Rocket quietly delivered solid comic and dramatic performances in whatever medium he was working in.

He must have had demons, though, as he was found dead in 2005 of an apparent suicide. When he was alive, I always believed that someday he would land a good supporting role that would make the industry take notice, but now we'll never know.

5 comments:

  1. If even half of the things said about Charles Rocket in the following blog are true, my heart breaks for him:

    In Memory of Charles Rocket

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  2. "He must have had demons"

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  3. I always liked him as an actor. It's horrible that things turned out the way they did.

    P.S. - I'm just discovering this site and I love it. I think I could get lost here for hours.

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    1. Thanks Buddy. Keep coming back as I will be adding many more names in the months ahead.

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  4. It's a shame that Charles Rocket is gone. He was the glue that held SNL together. In his later life, he was a little withdrawn and rarely talked to anyone. The last person to see him alive was his girlfriend and as far as I know, he killed himself by slashing his own throat with a razor he kept in his shoe. A sad ending for such a legendary actor.

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