‘Escape From New York’ Star Frank Doubleday Dies at 73

Actor Frank Doubleday, best known for his role as the villainous Romero in John Carpenter‘s Escape From New York, has passed away. He was 73.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Doubleday actually died back on March 3 of complications from esophageal cancer at his home in Los Angeles. His wife and companion of 40 years, actress Christina Hart, just revealed the news this week.

In addition to his wife, Doubleday is survived by his daughters, actresses Portia Doubleday (Mr. Robot) and Kaitlin Doubleday (Empire), and his mother, Jane.

The actor was born on January 28, 1945 in Norwich, Connecticut. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was six years old, but didn’t decide to pursue a career in acting until he was working for the U.S. Postal Service and saw a production of Waiting for Gadot at a local junior college.

Doubleday is most well-known for his collaborations with iconic filmmaker John Carpenter. The two first worked together in Carpenter’s second feature film, Assault on Precinct 13, where Doubleday played a malicious member of L.A.’s Street Thunder gang.

His signature role came in his second movie with Carpenter, 1981’s Escape From New York. The actor stood out as the villainous Romero, the terrifying right hand man to the character known as the Duke, played by Isaac Hayes.

While the work with Carpenter is what made Doubleday famous, his first feature film role was in The First Nudie Musical in 1976, where he played a thug with a switchblade. His other big screen roles included Avenging Angel, Space Range, Nomads, Broadcast News, and Dollman.

Doubleday also did some work on television, appearing in programs like Police Story, T.J. Hooker, Charlie’s Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Hill Street Blues, and Sledge Hammer!

The actor’s final credit is from 1997, when he appeared in the TV series, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.