Whitney Rydbeck, a character actor beloved by horror fans for his role in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, has died. He passed away last Monday due to complications from prostate cancer while in hospice care in Chatsworth, California. He was 79 years old.
Tommy McLoughlin, the director of the sixth “Friday the 13th” film, confirmed Rydbeck’s passing to The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, he paid tribute to the late actor and close friend on Instagram.
“We lost not only a truly funny comedian and actor … but one of the most good-hearted human beings I’ve ever known,” McLoughlin wrote alongside several images of Rydbeck from the film. “Our Loss is Heaven’s Gain,” he added.
In the sixth Friday the 13th film (1986), Rydbeck plays a fan favorite, the nerdy Roy, sporting protective goggles over his regular glasses. During a corporate paintball game, he bumps into the machete-wielding killer in the woods. Roy makes a valiant attempt to flee, but… well, you know how this goes.
Whitney Wilbert Rydbeck, born on March 13, 1945, in Los Angeles, pursued his education at Pasadena High School, Pasadena City College, and later Cal State Fullerton, where he studied theater. In the early 1970s, he became a member of the Richmond Shepard Mime Troupe and the L.A. Mime Company.
Whitney Rydbeck Prolific Acting Career Took Him To Films, TV, Famous PSA’s and to Teaching
Rydbeck made his screen debut in a 1970 episode of Nanny and the Professor. He and McLoughlin later showcased their mime talents as silent robots in Woody Allen’s Sleeper (1973), set in the year 2173.
Throughout his prolific career as a character actor, Rydbeck graced numerous TV shows, including The Brady Bunch, M*A*S*H, Cagney & Lacey, and Highway to Heaven. His diverse roles extended to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Living Single, Party of Five, and Scrubs.
80s kids will also recall Rydbeck and Tony Reitano portrayed crash test dummies, Larry and Vince, in PSAs, highlighting the importance of seatbelt use. Their humorous ads, starting in 1985, featured car accident scenarios and concluded with the line, “You Could Learn a Lot From a Dummy.”
Rydbeck also appeared in notable films such as Love at First Bite (1979) starring George Hamilton, Rocky II (1979) directed by Sylvester Stallone, and Steven Spielberg’s 1941 (1979). In 1979, he also starred in the NBC kids’ show Whitney and the Robot as a cab driver who discovers a robot from another planet. His diverse résumé includes films like Oliver & Company (1988) and A Very Brady Sequel (1996), as well as TV shows such as Lassie, Switch, 7th Heaven, and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
More recently, he taught drama at Pasadena City College. He is survived by his girlfriend of 10 years, Claire.