Janice
05-28-2006, 11:12 PM
'Breakfast Club' Principal Gleason Dies
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//OBIT_GLEASON.sff_LA101_20060528183328.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060528/OBIT_GLEASON.sff_LA101_20060528183328.html?date=20060529&docid=D8HT69U80)
(AP) This undated handout photo provided by Bear Manor Media Publications, shows character actor Paul...Full Image (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060528/OBIT_GLEASON.sff_LA101_20060528183328.html?date=20060529&docid=D8HT69U80)
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.
Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.
"Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. "He was awesome."
A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s.
Gleason honed his acting skills with his mentor Lee Strasberg, whom he studied with at the Actors Studio beginning in the mid-1960s, family members said.
Through his career, Gleason appeared in over 60 movies that included "Die Hard,""Johnny Be Good," and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." Most recently, Gleason made a handful of television (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060529/D8HT69U80.html#) appearances in hit shows such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld."
Gleason's passions went beyond acting. He had recently published a book of poetry.
"He was an athlete, an actor and a poet," said his daughter, Shannon Gleason-Grossman. "He gave me and my sister a love that is beyond description that will be with us and keep us strong for the rest of our lives."
Actor Jimmy Hawkins, a friend of Gleason's since the 1960s, said he remembered Gleason for a sharp sense of humor.
"He just always had great stories to tell," Hawkins said. Gleason was survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Funeral plans were pending.
http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//OBIT_GLEASON.sff_LA101_20060528183328.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060528/OBIT_GLEASON.sff_LA101_20060528183328.html?date=20060529&docid=D8HT69U80)
(AP) This undated handout photo provided by Bear Manor Media Publications, shows character actor Paul...Full Image (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20060528/OBIT_GLEASON.sff_LA101_20060528183328.html?date=20060529&docid=D8HT69U80)
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.
Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.
"Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. "He was awesome."
A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s.
Gleason honed his acting skills with his mentor Lee Strasberg, whom he studied with at the Actors Studio beginning in the mid-1960s, family members said.
Through his career, Gleason appeared in over 60 movies that included "Die Hard,""Johnny Be Good," and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." Most recently, Gleason made a handful of television (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060529/D8HT69U80.html#) appearances in hit shows such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld."
Gleason's passions went beyond acting. He had recently published a book of poetry.
"He was an athlete, an actor and a poet," said his daughter, Shannon Gleason-Grossman. "He gave me and my sister a love that is beyond description that will be with us and keep us strong for the rest of our lives."
Actor Jimmy Hawkins, a friend of Gleason's since the 1960s, said he remembered Gleason for a sharp sense of humor.
"He just always had great stories to tell," Hawkins said. Gleason was survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Funeral plans were pending.