MOVIE NEWS – Ed Gale, the actor recognized for portraying the role of Howard the Duck in Marvel’s 1986 cult classic and the original murderous doll Chucky in Child’s Play, has died at the age of 61.

His niece, Kayse Gale, shared a touching tribute on Facebook: “It is with a heavy heart and a surprisingly light coffin (see what I did there?) that we announce the sudden passing of our uncle, Ed Gale. Ed Gale has taken his final bow and is now headlining in the afterlife. Ed hitched a ride to California when he was twenty years old, with $41 and a dream, and he never looked back. He lit up the silver screens in cult classic films like Howard the Duck and Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town, earning himself some serious street cred at every convention he attended. Which he never stopped bragging about. Ever.”

“Over the course of his career he appeared in over 130 movies, TV shows, and commercials. With this wide-ranging body of work, he leaves behind a legacy full of questionable lighting and amazing one-liners. Ed’s favorite role was that of the ‘fun uncle.’ His love language was sharing his love of the entertainment industry and the magic of Hollywood with his nieces.”

“Ed loved 7 eleven hotdogs with disgusting amounts of ketchup. He enjoyed reminiscing about his glory days DJing at the Plainwell roller rink. He hated Bill Maher for no good reason. He delighted in the slow build up of telling a good story, and cheating at cribbage. He had one hell of a laugh, and he will be missed. Rest in love you cranky b*stard.”

Born on August 23, 1963, in Plainwell, Michigan, Gale was determined not to let his short stature stop him from performing. At the age of 20, he left for Hollywood and after countless cold calls to studios, he finally landed his first auditions as a stunt performer. This eventually led him to George Lucas, who entrusted him with his first leading role inside the animatronic suit of Howard the Duck, a costume he once joked weighed almost as much as he did.

Just two years later, Gale took on another iconic role: Chucky the killer doll. While Brad Dourif lent his voice to every version of Chucky (let’s not mention the attempted reboot), Gale stepped in to physically perform Chucky in the live-action scenes of Child’s Play, Child’s Play 2, and Bride of Chucky.

Gale’s talent for embodying characters in elaborate suits brought him roles in Spaceballs, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey—where he was one half of the alien “Station”—as well as in Land of the Lost, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Polar Express. Overall, Gale’s resume included over 130 credits across film, TV, and commercials.

In the final years of his life, Gale’s legacy was overshadowed by allegations that he had approached several minors for sex. The investigation was still active at the time of his death.

Source: Facebook