Just saw that we lost Robert Z’Dar, he of the massive jaw, Monday night.  He’s probably best known for his turns as the titular Maniac Cop, but he turned his unusual looks (the result of cherubism) into an asset, playing villains in an astounding number of (mostly B, but sometimes mainstream) films over the years. My personal favorite may be the batshit insane Samurai Cop, which contains no samurai whatsoever and which I covered briefly here. His unique looks and always professional presence mean we are unlikely to see his like again. As my husband puts it “[he was] the only man who could replace Rowdy Roddy Piper as Sam Hell.”

More details on his passing here.

Coupled with the loss of Gregory Walcott, of Plan 9 From Outer Space fame the Monday before, it has been a terrible week for B-Movie fans.  Mr. Walcott actually had a perfectly respectable career, appearing on seemingly every TV drama of the 70s and 80s and appearing in films for John Ford and Clint Eastwood, but he will always be remembered best for his role in the infamously atrocious Ed Wood stinker, which he appeared in without his agent’s knowledge in hopes of giving the flick a bit of credibility.  As he once stated about his career, “I didn’t want to be remembered for (Plan 9). But it’s better to be remembered for something than for nothing, don’t you think?”

Further details may be found here.