Actor Denis Arndt, a later Tony nominated actor who appeared on the television shows L.A. Law, Picket Fences and Chicago Hope, as well as the films Basic Instinct and S.W.A.T., died at the age of 86 last month, the Associated Press reports.
Arndt died "peacefully in his bed" at his home in Oregon, his family confirmed in his Legacy.com obituary published on March 26, comparing his life to The Wizard of Oz, which was released in 1939, the same year as his birth.
“That was like Dad’s life,” the obituary stated. “It started out in black and white and blossomed into a life of color, brilliance, daring adventure and passion. And it was also a little bit trippy, like Oz.”
Arndt served in the Vietnam war as a helicopter pilot and was twice awarded the Purple Heart before moving to Seattle to pursue acting, initially spending multiple seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and performing as an early member of the Intiman Theatre. The actor landed television roles on the shows Crime Story and Wiseguy in the 1980s and appeared as one of the officers interrogating Sharon Stone's character in the iconic scene of the film Basic Instinct in 1992.
Arndt was a frequent collaborator with television writer and producer David E. Kelley, appearing on L.A. Law and Picket Fences, as well as Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Public, Boston Legal and Mr. Mercedes. The actor was also credited for roles on Providence, The Wonder Years, Murder, She Wrote, Life Goes On, Herman's Head, Touched by an Angel, Grey's Anatomy and The Good Fight.
Arndt made his lone Broadway appearance at the age of 77 opposite Mary-Louise Parker in the critically acclaimed Heisenberg in 2016, which earned him a Tony Award nomination.
“He captures new love and old love at the same time, hope and fear, the new world and the old. He’s turned the simplest of tales — boy meets girl — into an unexpectedly rich thing with just two chairs, two tables and two actors," the Associated Press wrote in its review of his performance at the time.