David William Huddleston was born on September 17, 1930, and died on August 2, 2016.
He was an American actor.
David was an Emmy Award nominee, Huddleston has had a prolific television career, and has appeared in many films including Blazing Saddles, Crime Busters, Santa Claus: The Movie and The Big Lebowski.
He was recognised primarily as a character actor, Huddleston starred in the title role of 1985’s big-budget film Santa Claus: The Movie, which featured a top-billed Dudley Moore as an elf.
His first major role came in the 1968 drama A Lovely Way to Die.
Briefly afterward the actor became a regular guest star on several of the leading television series of the 1960s and 1970s, among them, Adam-12, Then Came Bronson, Gunsmoke, Bewitched, Bonanza, Cannon, McMillan & Wife, The Waltons, The Rookies, Medical Center, Kung Fu, Emergency!, Spencer’s Pilots, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Police Woman, Hawaii Five-O, Walker, Texas Ranger, Charlie’s Angels, Sanford and Son, The Practice, and The Rockford Files.
David was cast in an unaired episode of the short-lived 1974 series The New Land and in the episode “The Nomads” from the 1977 series Quinn Martin’s Tales of the Unexpected (known in the United Kingdom as Twist in the Tale).
David was the star who played as J. T. Kallikak in the short-lived NBC situation comedy The Kallikaks later in 1977, and in 1979 he played the title role in the short-lived situation comedy Hizzonner as a small-town mayor.
Some of his notable feature film credits prior to Santa Claus: The Movie are his co-starring roles in Blazing Saddles, McQ, The Klansman, Breakheart Pass and Smokey and the Bandit II.
He died in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
David Huddleston passed away at 85 years old.