Tom Noonan, actor known for Heat and Manhunter, dies aged 74

"His death was confirmed by Fred Dekker, the director of 80s comedy horror The Monster Squad which saw Noonan play Frankenstein's Monster. It's with great sadness that I share the passing of Tom Noonan, he wrote on Facebook. Tom's indelible performance as Frankenstein in The Monster Squad is a highlight of my modest filmography he was the proverbial gentleman and scholar, and the world has lost a great talent."

"Karen Sillas, who starred with Noonan in What Happened Was , a film Noonan wrote, directed and acted in, based on his play, also paid tribute on social media. What a privilege and crazy fun it was working with this man and calling him my friend to the end, she wrote. The film won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance in 1994."

"I was making a little bit from my acting, but I was really poor and desperate, and this is a real part, Noonan later said in an interview. I proceeded then to turn it down about five times. I just wanted to get paid more than they were willing to pay me. They wanted to pay me like $35,000 to do this whole movie."

Tom Noonan has died at age 74, with his death confirmed by Fred Dekker. Dekker praised Noonan's indelible performance as Frankenstein in The Monster Squad and called him a gentleman and scholar. Karen Sillas paid tribute, recalling the privilege of working with him; their film What Happened Was, written and directed by Noonan and based on his play, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1994. Noonan began in off-Broadway theatre, starring in the original production of Sam Shepard's Buried Child, then transitioned to film in the 1980s. Early film roles included Heaven's Gate, The Man with One Red Shoe and F/X. He played serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in Manhunter, later reunited with Michael Mann on Heat, and appeared in films such as RoboCop 2, Last Action Hero, The Astronaut's Wife, The Pledge, The House of the Devil, and Eight Legged Freaks.

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