Lawrence Tierneyedit
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
(written from a Production point of view)
| Lawrence Tierney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Date of birth: | 15 March 1919 |
| Place of birth: | Brooklyn, New York |
| Date of death: | 26 February 2002 |
| Place of death: | Los Angeles, California |
| Character(s): | Cyrus Redblock, Regent of Palamar |
 | |
| ... as the Regent of Palamar | |
Lawrence Tierney (15 March 1919 – 26 February 2002; age 82) was an actor from Brooklyn, New York who appeared on two of the Star Trek spin-offs. He first played Cyrus Redblock in the Next Generation episode "The Big Goodbye". Nearly a decade later, he played the Regent of Palamar in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Business as Usual".
With his gruff, no-nonsense demeanor, Tierney is best known for playing "tough guy" roles throughout the 1940s, which was the primary reason he was given the role of Cyrus Redblock on TNG. He first acquired recognition for his portrayal of vicious gangster John Dillinger in the 1945 film Dillinger, in which he co-starred with fellow TNG/DS9 guest star and fellow "tough guy" actor Marc Lawrence. He is also remembered for his performance as brutal killer Sam Wilde in 1947's Born to Kill, directed by Robert Wise. Both of these films also feature TOS guest star Elisha Cook, Jr. in a supporting role. Tierney again worked with his Dillinger co-star Marc Lawrence in the 1967 Western Custer of the West, co-starring Jeffrey Hunter.
Although he had starring roles between 1945 and 1950, the 1950s saw him reduced to playing supporting characters, which carried on through the decades, and as the years went on, the parts seemed to grow smaller. He did, however, have an occasional major role, as was the case with the 1987 film Tough Guys Don't Dance, co-starring Clarence Williams III. He also had a recurring role on the television series Hill Street Blues, playing Sergeant Jenkins, as well as playing Elaine Benes' father in an early episode of Seinfeld (a series starring Jason Alexander).
In 1992, Tierney once again gained recognition from moviegoers for his portrayal of group leader Joe Cabot in Quentin Tarantino's cult film Reservoir Dogs. As much as he was known for playing a "tough guy" on the big screen, however, he was known more so for actually being one in real life. Throughout his life, Tierney often got into public altercations with others, including the law. These incidents often received ample media coverage. He even instigated confrontations between fellow actors and other crewmembers. One time, during the filming of "The Big Goodbye", he insulted 15-year-old Wil Wheaton with his remarks.[1]
Despite his tough-as-nails attitude, Tierney succumbed to pneumonia in February of 2002 in Los Angeles, California. He was 82 years old.
[edit] Other Trek connections
Additional films in which Tierney appeared with other Star Trek performers include:
- Such Good Friends (1971) with Laurence Luckinbill
- Prizzi's Honor (1985) with Joseph Ruskin
- Silver Bullet (1985) with Terry O'Quinn and Bill Smitrovich
- Murphy's Law (1986) with Janet MacLachlan
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) with Ricardo Montalban and Tiny Ron
- The Horror Show (1989) with Aron Eisenberg
- Why Me? (1990) with Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Pollard
- City of Hope (1991) with Jude Ciccolella
- Junior (1994) with Frank Langella and Alexander Enberg
- 2 Days in the Valley (1996) with Louise Fletcher and Teri Hatcher
- Armageddon (1998) with Anthony Guidera, Marshall R. Teague, Matt Malloy, Andy Milder, and Jim Fitzpatrick; co-written by J.J. Abrams
