My Take
Ed Lauter is the textbook definition of a "that guy" actor — the kind of face you recognize instantly but whose name you might have to look up, and once you do, you realize he was in practically everything. Over a career spanning more than 40 years, he racked up appearances in well over 200 films and TV shows, playing the kind of gruff, imposing authority figures and blue-collar heavies that stories absolutely need to work. He was in The Longest Yard, King Kong, Breakheart Pass, and kept right on showing up in prestige pictures and genre fare alike well into the 2000s. A Long Island kid who came up through stand-up comedy, he brought a lived-in authenticity to every role that no amount of method training can manufacture. Hollywood ran on guys like him, and we don't make enough of them anymore. Gone in 2013, a few weeks before his 75th birthday — genuinely one of the greats of the character-actor tradition.
Overview
Edward Matthew Lauter Jr. ( LAW-tər; October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared in more than 200 films and TV series episodes in a career that spanned over 40 years.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ed Lauter
- Name (Japanese)
- エド・ローター
- Reading
- えど・ろーたー
- Born
- October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Tiger
- Origin
- Long Beach, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / actor / comedian / stage actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Long Beach High School
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.