Wilford Brimley
American actor and singer (1934-2020) · United States · On the map · Actors · Died at 85
Anthony Wilford Brimley was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the late 1960s.
Wilford Brimley is read about 2,000 times a day, in 74 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 12 November 2026
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Something wrong?A life in dates
I BelieveFilm, Pastor2001
Brigham CityFilm, Stu1998
ProgenyFilm, Dr. David Wetherly1996
My Fellow AmericansFilm, Joe Hollis1995
OP CenterSeries, Adm. Troy Davis
Last of the DogmenFilm, 1995Narrator (uncredited)1993
Homicide: Life on the StreetSeries, Harry 'The Admiral' Prentice
Walker, Texas RangerSeries, 1993Burt Mueller1992The Boys of TwilightSeries, Bill Huntoon1989
SeinfeldSeries, Postmaster General Henry Atkins
Billy the KidFilm, 1989Gov. Lew Wallace1988
Cocoon: The ReturnFilm, Ben Luckett1986
Our HouseSeries, Gus Witherspoon
Act of VengeanceFilm, 1986Tony Boyle1985
CocoonFilm, Benjamin Luckett1983
10 to MidnightFilm, Clem Malone1982
Death ValleyFilm, The Sheriff1980
BorderlineFilm, Scooter Jackson1979
The China SyndromeFilm, Ted Spindler1978
The Awakening LandSeries, Jude McWhirter1977
How the West Was WonSeries, Sheriff Daniels1972
Kung FuSeries, Blacksmith
The WaltonsSeries, 1972Horace Brimley1969
True GritFilm, Minor Role (uncredited)1934Born27 September 1934People around Wilford
Sydney Pollack Directed The Firm and Absence of Malice
Robert Duvall Produced Tender Mercies (1983)
Scott Rudin Produced The Firm and In & Out
Richard D. Zanuck Produced Cocoon and Cocoon: The Return
Paul Newman Directed Harry & Son (1984)
Charles Bronson Also in 10 to Midnight and Borderline
Robert Redford Also in The Natural and The Electric Horseman
Mary Steenburgen Produced End of the Line (1987)
Tom Selleck Also in In & Out and Crossfire Trail
Ellen Barkin Produced Tender Mercies (1983)
Dave Grusin Wrote The Firm and Absence of Malice
Bo Hopkins Also in Tom Clancy's Op Center and The Road Home
Lewis Teague Directed Tom Clancy's Op Center (1995)
David Rayfiel Wrote The Firm and Absence of Malice
David Brown Produced Cocoon (1985)
Lili Fini Zanuck Produced Cocoon (1985)
George Lucas Produced Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1987)
Morgan Freeman Also in Brubaker and Harry & Son
Jane Fonda Also in The China Syndrome (1980)
Michael Douglas Produced The China Syndrome (1979)
Jessica Lange Produced Country (1984)
Glenn Close Also in In & Out and The Natural
Jack Lemmon Also in The China Syndrome (1980)
John Saxon Also in The Road Home and The Electric Horseman
Wilford BrimleyPartners
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View all 40 titles
The Thing 1982
I Believe 2019
True Grit 1969
Brubaker 1980
The China Syndrome 1979
Also in Deutsch
Filmography 40
78 credits on file
Television 11
Media & music
About this person
He became an established character actor in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as The China Syndrome (1979), The Thing (1982), Tender Mercies (1983), The Natural (1984), and Cocoon (1985). Brimley was known for playing characters at times much older than his age. He was the long-term face of American television advertisements for the Quaker Oats Company. He also promoted diabetes education and appeared in related television commercials for Liberty Medical, a role for which he became an Internet meme.
