Lawrence James Tierney

Lawrence James Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002)

Tierney's breakthrough role was starring as famous 1930s bank robber John Dillinger in 1945's Dillinger, made for the King Brothers and Monogram Pictures, which borrowed him from RKO. The next year he was cast as the lead in two more RKO productions that have since gained cult followings among film noir enthusiasts: The Devil Thumbs a Ride directed by Felix E. Feist and the more notorious Born to Kill directed by Robert Wise. Some of his other movie appearances were in: Kill or Be Killed(1950), Shakedown (1950), The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Singing in the Dark (1956), A Child is Waiting (1963), Gloria (1980), Reservoir Dogs (1992) and American Hero (1997). He also worked steadily in television with appearances in such shows as: "Naked City", "The Lloyd Bridges Show", "Fame", Remington Steele", Tales From the Darkside", "Hill Street Blues", "Star Trek: The Next Generation", Seinfeld" (as Elaine's father), "L.A. Law", "ER" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine".

Tierney's numerous arrests for being drunk and disorderly and jail terms for assault on civilians and lawmen alike took a toll on his career.[1] He was an admitted alcoholic who tried to go sober in 1982 after having a mild stroke, once observing during a 1987 interview that he "threw away about seven careers through drink". Between 1944 and 1951, Tierney was arrested over 12 times for brawling, frequently for drunkenness. He never married, but had one daughter. On February 26, 2002, at age 82, Lawrence died in his sleep of pneumonia in a Los Angeles nursing home, where he had been residing for nearly two years. His remains were cremated.