T.K. Carter, the character actor who appeared on shows like Punky Brewster and in movies like The Thing, has died.
He died at 69 in his home in Duarte, Calif., on Friday, a representative for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department told Entertainment Weekly. The Los Angeles County Fire personnel responded to a call about an unresponsive male at Carter’s house and pronounced him dead on the scene. Foul play is not suspected.
“It is with profound sadness and deep respect that we announce the passing of Thomas Kent ‘T.K.’ Carter, the acclaimed actor and comedian whose work spanned nearly five decades and left an indelible mark on American film and television,” Carter’s publicist, Tony Freeman, said in a statement to EW.
“T.K. Carter was a consummate professional and a genuine soul whose talent transcended genres,” Freeman added. “He brought laughter, truth, and humanity to every role he touched. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of artists and fans alike.”
Everett Collection T.K. Carter (top left) with the cast of ‘The Thing’
Born in New York City on Dec. 18, 1956, Carter grew up in the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California. He made his screen debut in a 1976 episode of Police Woman and appeared in episodes of Good Times, The Jeffersons, and The Waltons over the next few years. He made his movie debut in 1978’s Corvette Summer, which was Mark Hamill’s first film after Star Wars’ smash success.
After appearing in movies like the Walter Hill thriller Southern Comfort and comedies like Underground Aces (starring Melanie Griffith) and The Hollywood Knights (starring Tony Danza), Carter landed one of his most memorable roles in the 1982 sci-fi classic The Thing. John Carpenter cast the actor as Nauls, the roller-skating cook for the scientists in the Antarctic research station. Nauls survives until the finale of the movie, when he disappears to set explosives and never returns, leaving Kurt Russell’s MacReady and Keith David’s Childs as the last two figures standing.
NBC/courtesy Everett
Martin Davis, T.K. Carter, and Billy Lombardo on ‘Punky Brewster’
Carter provided the voice of Alex in the cartoon Turbo Teen in 1984. The following year, he made his debut on the NBC sitcom Punky Brewster as Mike Fulton, one of Soleil Moon Frye’s title character’s teachers.
Carter popped up as a regular on Good Morning, Miss Bliss — which was later retooled into Saved by the Bell — and The Sinbad Show. He had recurring roles on Dave and The Steve Harvey Show and appeared in episodes of A Different World, Family Matters, NYPD Blue, Everybody Hates Chris, and How to Get Away with Murder. In 2000, he starred as drug addict Gary McCullough in the acclaimed, Emmy-winning HBO miniseries The Corner, about a family struggling with poverty in an inner-city neighborhood in West Baltimore.
Albert L. Ortega/Getty
T. K. Carter in Los Angeles in 2020
On the big screen, Carter voiced the villainous Monstar Nawt in Space Jam, acted opposite Christopher Lloyd and Jeff Daniels in My Favorite Martian, and played a supporting role in Tony Scott’s Domino. He also had parts in Seems Like Old Times, Doctor Detroit, Runaway Train, and Ski Patrol.
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Carter’s final film role came in 2020’s The Way Back, which starred Ben Affleck as a high school basketball coach battling with alcoholism. His last project was the short-lived ABC drama The Company You Keep, in which he played the character Pike in three of the series’ 10 episodes.
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