Hollywood actor and horror icon Tony Todd has passed away at the age of 69. The actor, who was best known for starring in the Candyman and Final Destination horror franchises passed away on the evening of November 6, 2024 at his home in Marina Del Rey, California. His death was confirmed by a representative however a cause of death was not disclosed. Throughout his 40-year career, Todd had more than 240 film and TV credits to his name.
For those of us who remember repeating the phrase, “Candyman” in the mirror, brought about fright and horrific tingles up our spines–Todd is the man responsible for that.
If you can remember, Todd also appeared in the 1989 film Lean On Me with Morgan Freeman before starring in his most notable roles. Todd was also a prolific voice actor, voicing the Fallen in Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Zoom in The Flash (2014–2023), Darkseid in the DC Animated Movie Universe (2015–2020), and Venom in the video game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (2023). For the latter, he received a British Academy Games Award nomination.
Virginia Madsen, who starred alongside Todd in the Candyman, paid tribute to her friend and costar on Instagram.
“Tony Todd— A truly poetic man. A voice that made it easy to swoon. Thanks to Bernard Rose, we really created a gothic romance. It’s why the film lives on. A gentle soul with a deep knowledge of the arts. He enjoyed the fans and was never shy when it came to fans approaching, wanting photos. A rare actor who allowed himself to be open to the public attention,” Madsen wrote.
The touching sentiment continued, “Wish I had seen him on the stage. I will miss him so much and hope he haunts me once in a while. But I will not summon him in the mirror! What a gift that Jordan Peele let us live again as lovers. He talked about a prequel using technology so that we, ourselves could tell the tale of how their love began. Imagine that. I do. My dear friend Tony, I do.”
Todd’s longtime manager Jeffrey Goldberg confirmed the actor’s death in a statement to USA TODAY Saturday.
“Thank you for your interest in having a statement from me about my dear friend and client of 30 years, Tony Todd,” Goldberg wrote. “Tony was an amazing man, and I will miss him every single day.”
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The Horror Role that Made His Career
“My first scene, about 10 days into shooting, was when I appear to Virginia [Madsen, who plays Helen] in the parking lot,” says Todd. “I had already been hanging around on set in costume, and felt comfortable: I knew that scene was going to be monumental. We spent a day on it, the footsteps, the lighting, my guttural voice. Bernard and Virginia had been to see a professional hypnotist together; every time she did a scene where I was involved, Bernard would take her aside for 10 minutes and hypnotize her with techniques he’d learned there. This trance state allowed she and I both to probe deeper into our scenes and our characters. It created a real, three-way process of bonding and trust between her, me and Bernard.”
“I negotiated a bonus of $1,000 for every sting during the bee scene. And I got stung 23 times. Everything that’s worth making has to involve some sort of pain. Once I realized it was an important part of who Candyman was, I embraced it. It was like putting on a beautiful coat.”
“I’ve done 200 movies, this is the one that stays in people’s minds. It affects people of all races. I’ve used it as an introductory tool in gang-intervention work: what frightens you? What horrible things have you experienced? Let’s see what Jordan Peele produces with his sequel. They’re planning to shoot entirely in Chicago, where Cabrini-Green has been torn down and gentrified – the new film will explore all that.”
Another Role That Changed His Life
In the fan-favorite DS9 episode of the long-running Star Trek called, “The Visitor,” Todd portrayed the adult Jake Sisko as Captain Benjamin Sisko’s son spends decades of his life trying to rescue his father following an accident.
In a 2010 interview with StarTrek.com, recalling his experience with “The Visitor,” Todd shared, “‘The Visitor’ changed my life, not just in terms of convention appearances, but at the time that episode was done the Internet was just exploding and I remember sitting for hours just basking in the glow of the love that was being written about that single episode.”
“The story behind my doing it is that the woman who raised me, my aunt, was a single woman, and she’d passed away at the beautiful age of 82,” continued Todd. “I’d just finished Candyman 2 and it devastated me because she was a person I talked to every day. Fortunately, she was able to see some of the beginnings of my success. But I was in a state of shock and I wasn’t able to work for four months. They sent me the script for ‘The Visitor.’ It wasn’t a complete offer, but they sent it for my consideration and wanted me to come in and see them. So it was the role that got me up off the bed, out of the house, and into the producers’ office. When I went in, I saw a lot of actors who I felt were of the age and who were people I respected. But I went in and I got it. So that was sort of my homage to the parental figure in my life that I loved and cherished.”
His Final Movie Before He Died
The movie, Werewolf Game, is Todd’s last role he shot and will be released on Digital platforms January 21, 2025. It promises to “[give] fans a chance to experience one of Tony Todd’s last performances in a story that celebrates his dedication to bringing unforgettable characters to life.”
In Werewolf Game, “Twelve strangers are kidnapped and forced to play Werewolf Game, to the death. A thrilling feature film based on the iconic party game.”
Sunstrike Pictures tells BD, “We have a huge influence of John Carpenter and horror manga, to create a uniquely visceral film that is as haunting as it is beautiful. Werewolf Game is a thrilling, disturbing, who-dun-it mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.”
Tony Todd stars alongside familiar faces including Bai Ling, Robert Picardo, and Lydia Hearst, as well as rising stars Teala Dunn, Tabitha Jane, and Tim Realbuto.
R.I.P. Tony – We miss you.
