Geoffrey Lewis, long-time Clint Eastwood co-star, dies at 79

Some really sad news to report – yesterday 7^th April, Clint’s long-time friend and regular co- star Geoff Lewis died at the age of 79. Unfortunately, because of my birthday yesterday – I only learnt about this today. Lewis, father of actress Juliette, starred alongside Clint in many of his classic movies including High Plains Drifter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot the Every which way movies, Bronco Billy and more. I have posted below a number of various reports from several newspapers and publications. A wonderful actor, sadly missed RIP.

L.A. Times

Geoffrey Lewis, a veteran character actor and frequent collaborator of Clint Eastwood, has died. He was 79.

Lewis' death was confirmed by Carleen Donovan, publicist for one of his daughters, actress Juliette Lewis. No other details were immediately provided. Geoffrey Lewis first co-starred with Eastwood in the 1973 Western "High Plains Drifter" and would go on to appear in several other films with him, including "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), "Every Which Way But Loose" (1978) and its sequel, and in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" (1997), directed by Eastwood.

Lewis' other movie credits include "The Great Waldo Pepper," "Heaven's Gate," "Catch Me If You Can," The Lawnmower Man," "The Man Without a Face" and "Maverick." A prolific television actor, Lewis earned a Golden Globe nomination for his work on the 1980s sitcom "Flo," a spinoff of "Alice," and also appeared in such series as "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Mork & Mindy," "Lou Grant," "Magnum, P.I.," "Murder, She Wrote," "The X-Files" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

Early Wednesday morning, Juliette Lewis posted a photo of her and her father on Instagram and wrote, "He loved us so. So so much. I am forever my father's daughter and he will never [be] gone."

The Hollywood Reporter

Geoffrey Lewis, a prolific character actor who appeared opposite frequent collaborator Clint Eastwood as his pal Orville Boggs in Every Which Way but Loose and its sequel, has died. He was 79. Lewis, the father of Oscar-nominated actress Juliette Lewis, died Tuesday, family friend Michael Henderson said. No other details were immediately available.

Lewis began his long association with Eastwood in High Plains Drifter (1973). He also appeared with the actor in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Bronco Billy (1980), Pink Cadillac (1989) and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997).

Lewis scored a Golden Globe nomination for playing bartender Earl Tucker on the 1980s CBS sitcom Flo,its spinoff, Alice, that starred Polly Holliday, and he had recurring roles on such series as Falcon Crest and the syndicated Land’s End. Lewis portrayed real-life Prohibition-era gangster Harry Pierpont in Dillinger (1973), and his résumé also includes such notable films as The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), The Wind and the Lion (1975), Lucky Lady (1975), The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Catch Me If You Can (1989), The Lawnmower Man (1992), The Man Without a Face (1993), Maverick (1994) and The Devil’s Rejects (2005).

Geoff with daughter Juliette Lewis

The actor also stood out as a gravedigger turned vampire in the 1979 Tobe Hooper CBS miniseries Salem’s Lot, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Lewis had appeared on such 1970s TV shows as Then Came Bronson, Bonanza and The Name of the Game before scoring a minor role as a cowhand in The Culpepper Cattle Co. (1972). Later, he showed up on such series as Mod Squad, The Waltons, Police Woman, Mork & Mindy, Lou Grant, Gun Shy, Magnum, P.I. and The X-Files. Lewis was a co-founder of the spoken-word performance group Celestial Navigations, working with musician and songwriter Geoff Levin.

Variety

Actor Geoffrey Lewis, who appeared in several Clint Eastwood movies and made guest appearances on dozens of TV shows in the ’60s through ’80s, died Tuesday in Woodland Hills, Calif. of natural causes, according to a family friend. He was 79. The character actor, who often appeared in Westerns, was the father of actress Juliette Lewis.

He had roles in Eastwood’s “High Plains Drifter,” “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,” as Orville Boggs in “Every Which Way but Loose” and “Any Which Way You Can” as well as in “Bronco Billy,” “Pink Cadillac” and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”

Among his other film credits were “The Devil’s Rejects,” Michael Cimino’s “Heaven’s Gate,” John Milius’ “Dillinger,” TV movie “Salem’s Lot” and Michael Ritchie’s “Smile.”

Lewis received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance on the 1980 series “Flo,” and appeared in numerous other shows including “Barnaby Jones,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Lou Grant,” “Little House on the Prairie,” “Falcon Crest” and “Murder, She Wrote.”

Born in San Diego, he grew up in Rhode Island and moved to California at age 10. He is survived by his wife Paula Hochhalter, Juliette Lewis and nine other children including Lightfield and Matthew, both actors, and Dierdre, an actress.