Veteran Character Actor Philip Baker Hall Is Dead

The name may not be familiar, but anyone who's watched TV in, say, the last few decades will likely recognize the face of Philip Baker Hall. The veteran actor died Sunday at the age of 90, tweeted neighbor and Los Angeles Times reporter Sam Farmer. TV Line reports that Hall, who grew up in Ohio and worked as a high school teacher after serving in the Army, didn't start acting until age 30, but he then became a staple on television shows—M.A.S.H., Falcon's Crest, Good Times, Quincy M.E., Seinfeld, Modern Family, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, to name but a few.

Hall also had his share of movie roles, including in Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Hard Eight, The Sum of All Fears, The Rock, and Dogville. A tribute at Digg hails Hall for his guest spot as a hard-nosed "library cop" on Seinfeld, in which he "delivered one of the greatest monologues" the show ever had. Watch it here. Holly Wolfle Hall, his wife of almost 40 years, tells the AP that Hall was in good health until a few weeks ago and was at peace reflecting on his life on his final days. "His voice at the end was still just as powerful," she says. (Read other notable obituaries.)