The not so nice uncle of Harry Potter, Vernon Dursley, in the film adaptations of Harry Potter, was portrayed by Richard Griffiths. He played the role in every Harry Potter film, except for the last installment. Griffiths was also very well known in the theater, and even received an Tony award. In 2013, Griffiths needed heart surgery, but, sadly, died from complications from the surgery.
“Mess with the bull, you get the horns,” Paul Gleason’s character, Principal Vernon, famously said to a group of high school students serving Saturday detention, who you might know as The Breakfast Club. At 67 years old, in 2006, Gleason died from a form of lung cancer connected with asbestos. It is believed he came in contact with asbestos as a teen, while working with his father on building sites.
David Huddleston is an actor with close to 150 credited roles to his name. He played Olson Johnson in Blazing Saddles and Judge in The Producers. However, he is best known for his role in The Big Lebowski, as the Big Lebowski himself. Sadly, Huddleston died of heart and kidney failure in 2016. He was 85 years old.
Michelle Thomas made people everywhere laugh weekly from her 2 best performances: Theo’s girlfriend, Justine Phillips, on The Cosby Show and as Myra Monkhouse on Family Matters. She also made the jump from comedy to drama in 1998, when she played the role of Callie Rogers on The Young and The Restless. Tragically, Thomas died from a rare form of cancer at the young age of 29.
David Margulies was a veteran stage actor before making the jump to the silver screen in the 1970s. He may best be remembered for his role as the mayor of NYC in the Ghostbuster films. He also played Tony Soprano’s sleazy lawyer, Neil Mink. Sadly, Margulies lost his battle to cancer in 2016. He passed away in his home at the age of 78.
