I met Lawrence Tierney, or "Larry" as we called him, in 1989 upon first arriving in Los Angeles. At the time, Film Threat had these cheap offices on Hollywood Boulevard in the Cherokee Building right across the street from the famous Musso & Frank's restaurant. (Mainly famous for its celebrity clientele and overpriced $15 ham sandwiches.) Through another pal, Ron Zwang, I met Larry. He reminded me of my grandfather who fought in WWII. A tough guy from an era long gone. They didn't make guys like Larry anymore. The world had become become soft. Weak. Larry was none of those things.

He took an instant liking to me. And we hung out. Went to bars. I watched as he would charm women who could be his granddaughter. Sure, he'd flirt, but he was always a perfect gentleman to the ladies. But any guy who crossed him, was in for a beating. Larry never took any shit from anybody. I met the guy when he was in his seventies, and I had no doubt that he could lay me out with one punch. I had to egg him on to tell me stories from old Hollywood. He would always decline, then, after being warmed up by the conversation, he would finally give in. It was always like hearing about a better time, like Camelot. A time when men were men and women were dames. I sat captivated listening to every drunken tale, every female conquest and every war story on the film set.

The entire time I knew Larry, I was simply "kid." "Hey kid," he used to say in his deep manly voice. It made sense because, well, I could easily have been his grandson. He used to take naps at the Film Threat office. He'd curl up in the corner like a baby and doze off. He even asked me if he could move in and sleep at the office, but there was just no place for his stuff.

When I first met him, I was heavily into this popular series of prank phone call tapes from the Tube Bar featuring a gruff bartender named "Red." I had my sights on one day making a film about "Red" and then I met Larry. Upon first meeting him I knew I had found the only actor alive who could bring the sheer rage of Red to life. Larry was Red.

I have to say that anywhere we went with Larry, we knew there was a possibility that something "bad" could happen. He had a temper that generally scared the crap out of most people. But others would not back down so easily and if Larry had one major problem, it's that he never backed down. When I was around him, I always tried to laugh off conflicts and sometimes pretended to be his grandson. I would look over at the possible conflict about to brew over, make eye contact with the other combatant, shrug my sholders, laugh or do anything to get them to laugh it off and let it go. I know I saved both Larry and I from some major ass-kickings on more than several occasions.

Convincing Larry to star in my little short black & white movie about a bartender besieged with prank phone calls was no easy feat. And while being his friend was sometimes dangerous, directing him in a movie was no walk in the park either. Other directors had their own share of problems. He was fired from the set of "Natural Born Killers." (Larry was originally cast as the Warden, a part Tommy Lee Jones stepped into at the last minute.) Apparently Larry got violent with Oliver Stone during a rehearsal reading and nearly decked Woody Harrelson. Quentin Tarantino had his own share of woes during the making of "Reservoir Dogs." Larry went to jail for unloading a firearm into the apartment next door in which a family lived. His manager had to put up his house as bail to get Larry out of prison to finish his scenes on the film.

I had to pay Larry $1,000 for two days work on "Red." In fact, I had to wave the $100 bills in front of his face to get him to wake up on the first day. He demanded cash and that this deal not go through his agent. I mean, we were friends, so what would be the point? And he was, no surprise, difficult. He refused to do certain things. I had to trick him into doing things on camera that I needed. And he was a trooper. When it came time to use a rifle loaded with blanks to slaughter everyone in the bar in a dream sequence, Larry needed no coaxing. He pointed that weapon exactly where it needed to go and killed everyone. And he enjoyed doing it for three more takes. He needed to rest quite a bit and, who can blame him? And he needed a supply of Haegen Daz ice cream to calm his nerves. As it is, it was an intense two days with Larry but I got my film in the can. The film contains a sequence of still photos and I learned you can't take a bad photo of Larry. His creviced face told an infinite number of tall tales.

"Red" was released on video in 1992 and has since become this bizarre cult hit. It was Matt Groening at the Simpsons who admitted to me that someone put my film on at some party and this inspired him to make Moe the Bartender the victim of prank calls at the hands of Bart. That's pretty cool.

Hey, had I not had my first child the year that "Red" came out, I might have continued to pursue filmmaking. As it is, my fatherly instincts took over and I took a path that offered me the chance to be with my kids and still be involved in film. I haven't made a film since, but if Larry were still here, I might consider it. "Red" has been out of circulation on video for years and strangely, just last weekend, I began work on the Film Threat DVD version of "Red." Such strange timing. And now this happens...

Larry was an original. He was a star. And I miss him. (I'm still in shock, so if all these thoughts are not particularly well organized, please consider my state at the moment.)

For those who are unaware of the specifics of his illustrious career, here is the report from AP: Actor Lawrence Tierney Dies at 82
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Veteran actor and B-movie leading man Lawrence Tierney, whose tough-guy characters during the 1940s and '50s often mirrored his troubled real life, has died. He was 82. Tierney died in his sleep Tuesday at a Los Angeles nursing home. Throughout his 80-film career, the actor perfected many gangster roles. But he is probably best known for the title role in the 1945 B-movie classic ``Dillinger'' and the leader of a group of killers in Quentin Tarantino's 1992 crime drama ``Reservoir Dogs.'' Tierney's acting roles often mimicked his troubled off-screen life during the 1950s. The actor was arrested numerous times on charges stemming from participating in drunken brawls at bars and Hollywood parties. ``The people who knew Larry knew that wasn't all there was to Larry,'' said Tierney's nephew, Michael Tierney, told the Los Angeles Times. ``He was a wacky, kind of quirky, comical guy, and a very nice man to a lot of people.'' Tierney was born in Brooklyn in 1919. As a star member of his high school track team, he earned a scholarship to Manhattan College but he dropped out after two years and ended up traveling around the country while working numerous odd jobs. In 1943, RKO studios signed Tierney to a contract when a talent scout spotted him among members of the American-Irish Theater. He soon landed supporting roles in films such as ``The Ghost Ship'' and ``The Falcon Out West.'' Stardom for Tierney came in 1945, when he played the vicious gangster John Dillinger in ``Dillinger.'' That role led him to play other tough guy characters - both good and bad - in such movies such as ``San Quentin,'' ``The Devil Thumbs a Ride,'' ``Born to Kill,'' and ``Kill or Be Killed.'' He also played the bad guy who caused the train wreck in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 best-picture Oscar-winner, ``The Greatest Show on Earth.'' But Tierney's run-ins with the law in real life took a toll on his career. Throughout the 1960s and '70s, he was only able to get small parts in movies as his troubles followed his moves to Europe and back to the United States. He returned to Hollywood in late 1983 and tried to rekindle his acting career by guest-starring on television shows such as ``Star Trek: The Next Generation,'' ``Remington Steele,'' ``Fame'' and ``Hunter.'' He also had a recurring role on ``Hill Street Blues.'' Tierney is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth Tierney, of Park City, Utah.

Larry, I'm gonna miss you. I loved you like you were my own grandpa. If you are in heaven, try not to kick anyone's ass.

Thanks for allowing me to share this with you.
The Kid

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FILM THREAT READER'S THOUGHTS

I have a Lawrence Tierney story for you.
Back in 95' I met Mr. Tierney at Canters restaurant in West Hollywood. It was about 1:00 a.m. I had just finshed my late nite after party sandwich when I noticed him sitting at a booth. He was getting up to leave when I approached him. I introduced myself and gave him my business card. I told him that I wanted to use him in a short that I was about to do. We had a long talk. I found him to be a very funny and friendly man. But I could see how imposing he could be. I lefted the restaurant with a big smile on my face knowing that I had met this man. When I found out that he had passed away. I was sadden that the project did not go through . It would have been great to work with this man With a sad heart.
Anthony Dente

I am a filmmaker and a big fan of your site and books.
I am a filmmaker and a big fan of your site and books. I wanted to thank you for the nice piece you did about Larry on Film Threat.com. I did a big story about him a few years ago and even worked with him on his autobiography for a while. It was, as you can imagine, an exhausting, crazy, exhilarating experience, but I got to know him quite well and we became quite good friends. His nephew Michael called me last week as soon as Larry went.
I have been thinking of him a lot this week and laughing to myself over some of our adventures: midnight drives to the beach, fights in restaurants, girls that Larry would try and pick up on street corners and sidewalk cafes in Venice - he even made me take him to a dog-walk way up in the Hollywood Hills once just because there were cute girls there, even though neither of us had dog!
After the article came out that I did about Larry he asked me to do a book with him and I spent a crazy week with him in LA. I finally dumped the book idea and came back home but kept in touch with Larry and stopped to see him each time I was in LA. You will get a kick out of the last time: I was on a drive with Fay Wray, who I had also done a story about, and I stopped by Larry's and left Fay in the car for five minutes. See, I had promised Larry that I would come by and say hello while in LA and the week had flown by. I was seeing Old Hollywood through Fay Wray's eyes that afternoon and I kept thinking, "I should've seen Larry." Finally Fay showed me the first house she had bought for her and her mother in 1926 and it was right around the corner from Larry off La Brea. I suddenly asked Fay if she would mind if I just ran up to his door for a minute and said 'hello' and came back. She insisted that I did, and waited patiently. Well, Larry would NOT let me go once I got inside and I finally had to tell him that I had Fay Wray in a sweltering car and that she was over 90 and I had to go. He went nuts then and said he had to meet her and was going to come to the car, which worried me as he could hardly walk at all -- not to mention the fact that he was in his underwear and had no intention of dressing! I finally agreed to bring Fay up to say hello, if only to get Larry to let me out.
As I brought Fay back, I will never forget the sight of Larry as he stood on the porch of his building in his BVD's, suddenly completely charming. He greeted Fay with his own poetry and growlingly asked her for her phone number so "we can go out sometime." She was like, "What?!" trying to hear him as cars went by. Frustrated, the eternal tough guy started pushing Fay, in what he thought was a good natured way, but Fay at 90 pounds and 90-plus years -- precarious on a good day -- was fighting to remain standing. Larry, too vain to use his cane or walker in front of Fay, tottered in one direction as Fay tottered the other as I was doing my best to keep these two legends vertical! I had this horrible vision suddenly of front page headlines: "Dillinger Tough Guy Knocks Off Kong's Main Squeeze - And Self!" Oy. At that moment I suddenly realized what an odd life I led, got Fay home quickly, stopped back to see Larry and then exhaled. It was one of the last times I saw him.
Anyway Chris, I thought you would get a kick out of that story. Below is a link to the original story I did for publication about Larry. It was before much of the crazy stuff happened with him, but as can imagine, there were still plenty of adventure involved. I have hours and hours of tapes of him calling me and discussing the book and asking me if he could come to NYC and stay with me. I think it will be a long time before I can listen to them, but I have to admit that I miss him a lot already. Thanks for helping to keep his name and his work out there. And keep up the great work!http://www.broadwaythemovie.com/Tierney.html

Best regards,
Rick McKay
www.broadwaythemovie.com

Larry and a Jack Knife
Hey,
I just heard about Lawrence's Passing. I was thinking about the time that you LT , Dave Stratton and I went to the Formosa and he kept snapping at me and Stratton because we kept trying to get him to do lines from the Sienfeld episode that he was on. I also remember being on the set of "Red" and he would clean his ears with a jack knife. A FUCKIN JACK KNIFE!! Say what you want, but he was ALL FUCKIN MAN!!

Stay Golden Pony Boy,
Tim Conlon

My condolences on the passing of your friend, Lawrence Tierney.
His performance in "Reservoir Dogs" floored me...and he was a memorable presence in just about everything he did (including that early episode of "Seinfeld" where he was perfectly cast as Elaine's intimidating father).
I had an encounter with Mr. Tierney outside the Egyptian Theater waiting for an American Cinematheque showing of the great film noir, "Born to Kill." I was just waiting there and he just started talking to us out of the blue.
When "Born to Kill"'s director, Robert Wise, spoke after the film and someone asked about Tierney, Wise implied that he was maybe a bit difficult to work with and mentioned the actor's runs in with the law. I sensed that Wise -- known as something of a gentle soul -- had been a little frightened of the tough guy all those years back.
Then Tierney interupted, speaking out of nowhere from the audience, and talking about his memories of the film. It was a slightly uncomfortable moment. I wondered if Mr. Wise was still a bit frightened -- which might have been the idea.
Whatever else may have been true, Lawrence Tierney was great on film because he was the real thing. He never needed to act.

- Bob Westal

Truth about LT
Hey, Gore.....
Tierney also spoke the last line on the last episode of Hill Street Blues.
He answered a phone as Dennis Franz's character walks out the door and mutters, "Hill Street Station!". Why do I know that?
Just thought you'd like to know.
Can't wait for the Red DVD.

Your pal,
Ken All Night Rocker

Larry Tierney, r.i.p.
Chris:
Your tribute/obit on the website was great. Right from the heart.
On a side-note, Larry once sucker-punched me in the stomach--evidently because I was "using too many big words"--outside the men's room at Boardner's bar on Cherokee one evening in the late eighties when I was there with J. Burr and D. Zukovic. I was, and still am, honored.
Talk to you soon,
Crosby

my condolences on the loss of your friend.
i remember lawrence tierney from hill street blues and i thought i saw him on nypd blue, maybe not. he was one of those character actors that i'd see on various tv shows and movies and always smiled because ya knew however small his part was he'd definitely add something to the project.
i was surprised in that ap blurb you put out that they didn't mention reservoir dogs.
i also notice that quentin tarantino has a habit of finding great old b-movie actors for his rolls as well as tierney, robert forster and pam grier (jackie brown) and i'm assuming he picked michael parks (from dusk till dawn) for the texas ranger earl mcgraw in the convenient store.
we've lost a lot of great actors, artists and performers these past few years. i still morn the passing of frank sinatra, orson wells, peter sellers, slim pickens, charles shultz and there will never be another john (the duke) wayne, and just this week, chuck jones, and so on.
if my spelling of these actors are wrong please forgive me.
i've never seen red but i'll be on the order list for the dvd for sure.
i'll petition the cleveland cinematheque to do a film review, dillinger, reservoir dogs and red, sounds like a winner.

take care,
Big John, Cleveland, OH

Slave of Larry
Dear Chris:
You may remember me as one of the guys who made the indie feature Slaves of Hollywood which your site was very kind to. I was having a great day until I heard about Larry Tierney's passing. In 1994, I managed to get Larry's home number and tried to convince him to be in our film, playing an evil music video producer. He intially agreed to do it (just like in your case, for $1000 and no contact with his reps. Those must've been some reps.) but then seemed to have forgotten all about it the next day I spoke to him. Thus began an odd relationship much like the one Ed Wood had with Bela Lugosi. I would get phone calls from Larry in the middle of the night when he seemed to remember everything about the project and was eager to shoot. Then he wouldn't remember it when I called him again and I'd have to explain the whole thing over. This went on for about 3 weeks. In retrospect I think he was just having a great time with me. Finally I decided that a face to face meeting was necessary so we could figure out if Larry was actually going to do this. We met him at the Hollywood Athletic Club for lunch, in the back room with the Godfather lighting, and it honestly was like walking into a 40's gangster picture for a sit down with the boss. In person, the guy was funny, smart, charming, and very tough, even in his 70's. As it turned out, Larry went on location to do another film and wasn't able to do ours. But I'll never forget the guy. A true Hollywood character and a helluva actor. These days stars are pampered like toy poodles. But Larry was both an actor and a man's man. He'll be missed. Thanks for the article and my sincere condolences to Larry's family.

Best,
Terry Keefe