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US actor Carl W Crudup has di£d at the age of 79, his family just announced.

The veteran TV, film and Broadway actor di£d from prostate cancer on January 10 at his ranch in Littlerock, California.

His loved ones said he "found peace and joy, and lived as both actor and farmer" at the ranch.<br><br><br>

They added in their statement: "The ranch was Carl's sanctuary, a place of nature, animals and quiet reflection. His goats were treasured like children, and he embodied the heart of the original Dr. Dolittle, gentle, compassionate and endlessly patient."

Crudup appeared on screen in J.<br><br><br>D.'s Revenge, The Rockford Files, Better Things and A Man on the Inside during his five-decade career.

His Broadway debut came in 1975 when he appeared in The First Breeze of Summer, opposite Moses Gunn in an acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company production.

Crudup's first film role was in Karel Reisz's 1974 film The Gambler (1974), also starring James Caan, as a basketball player.<br><br><br> On TV, he starred in shows such as ER, Criminal Minds, Shameless, Agent Carter and The White Shadow.

In more recent years, he appeared in Empty Rooms (2012), Halfway to Hell (2013), The Remarkable Life of John Weld (2018) and Horror Noire (2021).<br><br><br>

Tributes for the star have poured in online.

One of his former colleagues posted on Instagram: "Carl Crudup sadly passed away. He was a wonderful actor and a kind person. There was never a moment in the times we worked together (starting with my first student film) where he wasn't enthusiastic and supportive of me and the projects we were making.<br><br><br>

"He would tell a story at lunch, and the ten people sitting next to him wouldn't say a word, enthralled by his experience and wisdom.<br><br><br> Countless times, the crew would come up to me and tell me how much fun he was and how much they loved working with him. I never thought that when I called him to be in The Cycle, it would be his last role.

"I know how excited he was about his work in it, and I know how excited I was to work with him many more times.<br><br><br> I heard him ask some of the cast on set if they were an 'AFL' - 'actor for life' - to which Carl absolutely was. He will be missed."

Rel Dowdell, Director of Film Studies at Hampton University, said in in a statement: "He exemplified a truly genuine persona to whatever size of the role he was asked to play.<br><br><br>

"Like many unsung African American talents of that era, he used his formal training to always bring charisma and distinction to elevate and bring dignity to the collective work done on any screen."
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