Photo: Alan Light; cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 07:41, 26 January 2011 (UTC) / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Rip Torn was one of those character actors whose presence you feel before you can name him, and I miss that breed. Over roughly six decades he swung from comic menace, as Zed in Men in Black and the unhinged coach in DodgeBall, to serious dramatic weight, earning an Oscar nomination for Cross Creek. His Emmy-winning turn as Artie on The Larry Sanders Show is, to me, a masterclass in barely-contained intensity. A Texas A&M man from Temple, he carried a raw, unpredictable edge that modern Hollywood rarely cultivates anymore. Actors that genuinely dangerous and that funny don't come along often, and his loss in 2019 still stings.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rip Torn
- Name (Japanese)
- リップ・トーン
- Reading
- りっぷ・とーん
- Born
- February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Goat
- Origin
- Temple, Texas, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film director / television actor / stage actor / film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Taylor High School
- University
- Texas A&M University
Awards & achievements
- 1959 Theatre World Award
- 1996 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story | — | |
| Notable work | Men in Black | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Rip Torn born?
February 6, 1931 – July 9, 2019.
Where is Rip Torn from?
Rip Torn is from Temple, Texas, United States.
What does Rip Torn do?
Rip Torn works as actor, film director, television actor, stage actor, film actor.
What is Rip Torn known for?
Notable works include DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, Men in Black.
Actor — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
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.