Ed Lauter

Ed Lauter

Ed Lauter has died aged 74.

The 'Artist' actor - who played the butler of Berenice Bejo's character Peppy in the Oscar-winning movie - passed away yesterday (16.10.13) at his home in Los Angeles of mesothelioma, a terminal form of cancer that affects tissue surrounding internal organs and is commonly caused by exposure to asbestos, his publicist Edward Lozzi confirmed.

The late actor recently portrayed a baseball scout in Clint Eastwood's movie 'Trouble with the Curve' in 2012 and he played Dick Healey on US drama 'Shameless', as well as recurring character Fire Captain Dannaker on long-running medical drama 'ER'.

Speaking last year, the balding star said: "A lot of people say, 'I know you,' but they don't know my name. But I've had a great run."

Ed - who discovered in May he had contracted mesothelioma - had been married four times and left behind four children.

He appeared in several big movies including Alfred Hitchcock's final film, 'Family Plot', as well as 'The Longest Yard' in 1974 and more recently 2001's 'Not Another Teen Movie'.

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