Tom Towles is an unfamiliar name to most, but horror film fans will certainly know him. The character actor died Sunday at 65.
Musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie announced Towles death on Facebook. “I just got word that our buddy Tom Towles has died,” Zombie wrote. “He was such a great guy and I am so grateful that we got to work together several times. He will be really missed.”
According to Bloody Disgusting, Towles appeared in Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses. His other horror work includes The Devil’s Rejects, Halloween, Prophecy II and the 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead.
As Vulture points out, one of his major roles was playing Otis in John McNaughton's’ Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer with Michael Rooker. The film was made for just $100,000 in 1985, but wasn’t released until 1990. While the disturbing film was criticised, Roger Ebert praised the movie.
Towles had 61 credits on his resume, including appearances in NYPD Blue, Seinfeld, ER and both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Michael Mann also cast him in his film version of Miami Vice.