Geoffrey Lewis

Geoffrey Lewis, a craggy-faced character actor in TV and film, was best known for playing ornery cowpokes, laconic criminals, and flustered sidekicks, notably in several Clint Eastwood vehicles. After making his debut in "Welcome Home, Soldier Boys" (1971), a violent film depicting the troubles Vietnam vets faced upon returning home, Lewis went on to appear in a number of seminal 1970s films, including Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter" (1973), as a small-town baddie,Michael Cimino's "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), as a second-rate crook, and Michael Ritchie's "Smile" (1975), as the pageant president. Most of Lewis' feature work in the '80s and '90s consisted of supporting roles in "A" features like "Maverick" (1994) and "Man Without a Face" (1993) and TV Westerns including "Desperado: The Outlaw Wars" (NBC, 1989), "Gunsmoke: The Last Apache" (CBS, 1990) and "The Gambler V: Playing For Keeps" (CBS, 1994). He was the father of actress Juliette Lewis, actor-director Lightfield Lewis and actor Peter Lewis. Geoffrey Lewis died on April 7, 2015 of natural causes. He was 79.