This year has been a rough one for legendary character actors passing away. We can add another one to the list. Bill Nunn has passed away in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was 62.
His death was announced by his friend Spike Lee through Instagram:
This was followed by a reprise of Nunn’s Radio Raheem speech from Do The Right Thing:
Nunn made his film debut in Lee’s second film, School Daze, a 1988 movie that lent a critical eye to historically Black colleges. His next pairing with Lee the following year would jump start Nunn’s career.
Lee cast Nunn as the aforementioned Radio Raheem in 1989’s Do the Right Thing. Raheem’s confrontation with Sal (Danny Aiello) leads that film to its explosive climax. Nunn would pair with Lee two more times, in 1990’s Mo’ Better Blues and 1998’s He Got Game.
Nunn would also appear in films such as New Jack City, Regarding Henry, Sister Act, and Kiss the Girls. Comic fans will recognize him from his role as Robbie Robertson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films. His most recent work was in the USA Network’s Sirens.
Cause of death is not known at this time.
