NEW YORK – Allen Garfield, the veteran character actor who was a vital player in classic 1970s films like “The Conversation” and “Nashville,” has died.
He was 80. Garfield's sister, Lois Goorwitz, said he died Tuesday in Los Angeles due to complications from COVID-19. Garfield had been a resident at the Motion Picture Television Fund Home, the industry retirement facility where several staffers and some residents have tested positive for the virus.
The Newark, New Jersey-born Garfield first set out as a boxer and a sportswriter. While covering sports for New Jersey's Star-Ledger, he studied acting at night and was eventually taken in by the Actor's Studio.