VETERAN actor Michael Alaimo – known for his roles in Space Jam and Oscar-nominated thriller The China Syndrome – has died at 86.
Alaimo passed away peacefully on Friday, May 2, in Burbank, California, his family confirmed.
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His daughter, TV PR executive Gabriella Alaimo Thomas, confirmed his death to Variety. No cause of death was disclosed.
Alaimo’s career spanned avant-garde theater, political activism, and a steady stream of film and TV appearances across six decades.
In Space Jam, he shared the screen with Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight and Bill Murray, playing the role of a doctor.
His other big-screen credits included Mr. Mom, All I Want for Christmas, and The China Syndrome – the 1979 nuclear meltdown drama that earned four Academy Award nominations.
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On television, Alaimo made his mark in fan favorites like Cheers, The Wonder Years, Scrubs, Barney Miller, Mr. Belvedere, Hill Street Blues and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers.
He studied theater at Brooklyn College and performed with Joseph Papp’s Shakespeare in Central Park troupe from 1961 to 1964.
He also led a commedia dell’arte troupe and was active in political theater in East Harlem.
Alaimo later toured with the anti-war show F.T.A. before heading to Los Angeles in 1973, where he landed roles in The Six Million Dollar Man, Cannon and Harry O.
He is survived by his wife Louise, daughters Gabriella and Giovanna, son-in-law David, and granddaughters Isabella and Malia.
It comes after a famous James Bond star who played two separate roles in the iconic franchise died at the age of 89.
Joe Don Baker was best known for playing a top CIA agent alongside Pierce Brosnan in two blockbuster Bond films.
A touching statement from his family read: “His intellectual curiosity made him a voracious reader, inspiring a great love of nature and animals, particularly cats.
“Throughout his life, Joe Don touched many lives with his warmth and compassion, leaving an indelible mark on everyone fortunate enough to know him.”
The actor first played a Bond villain in 1987 flick The Living Daylights.
He took on the role of Brad Whitaker, who was a crazed arms dealer.
After impressing on screen, Baker was asked to return to the franchise in 1995’s GoldenEye.
The Pierce Brosnan thriller saw Baker play a good guy this time around as he was CIA agent Jack Wade.
In 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies he returned to the role in his third Bond flick.
The family statement ended with them praising the actor for creating so many memories throughout his life.
Baker is survived by relatives in his native Groesbeck, Texas.
He never had any children but was married to Maria Dolores Rivero-Torres from 1969 to 1980.
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