Geoffrey Lewis, both television series actor and frequent co-star in Clint Eastwood pictures, passed away Tuesday in Woodland Hills, California, Variety informs. The actor, father of actress Juliette Lewis, died of natural causes, according to a family friend who made the sad news public. At the moment of his passing, Geffrey Lewis was 79 years old.
Geoffrey Lewis was a Western favorite and his association with Clint Eastwood pictures reminds of titles such as High Plains Drifter, a 1973 Clint Eastwood directed Western in which Geoffrey Lewis played the part of Stacey Bridges. The following year, in 1974, he played Eddie Goody in crime drama Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. Another Eastwood directed picture, Bronco Billy, brought Geoffrey in 1980 the role of John Arlington. The two actors were also seen together in 1989’s Pink Cadillac and in 1997’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Geoffrey Lewis was a beloved actor, with appearances in television series mostly in the first period of his career, with later roles being shared mostly to pictures. Early television series roles remember of titles such as Then Came Bronson (1970), The Young Lawyers (1970), Alias Smith and Jones (1971-1972), Kung Fu (1973) and The Streets of San Francisco (1975). In the eighties, Geoffrey Lewis played Earl Tucker in television series Flo (1980-1981) and this role brought him a Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actor. More recently, we had him star in television series like Criminal Minds in 2006 and in House M.D. in 2007.
According to Daily Mail, apart from being an artist, Geoffrey Lewis was also a Scientologist. In 2005, the actor was quoted on the official Scientology website: ‘’The wins that I’ve had with Scientology coincide directly with the rise in my career. (…) I wish to acknowledge Ron’s [L Hubbard] brilliant work, benevolence and stick-to-it-ness. He never gave up and I am thankful and happy to be a recipient of that knowledge.’’