Paul D’Amato in 1977’s ‘Slap Shot’.Photo:Universal/Alamy
Universal/Alamy
Paul D’Amato, the actor best known for portraying Tim “Dr. Hook” McCracken in the 1977 hockey movieSlap Shot, died on Tuesday, according to multiple outlets. He was 75.
Former professional hockey player Steve Carlson, who also appeared inSlap Shot, also mourned D’Amato in a post he shared onX(formerly known as Twitter).
The actor died at his home in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, Monday from a brain disease called progressive supranuclear palsy, asThe Hollywood Reporterand aPatch Mediaoutlet reported. D’Amato had been suffering from the disease for four years, both outlets reported.
“He was the most wonderful, sweetest guy, he fought so hard against this horrendous disease,” D’Amato’s fiancée Marina Re toldTHR.
D’Amato told the latter outlet that he landed hisSlap Shotrole after telling his agent that he was a college hockey player. “About a month later I got a call from my agent, ‘You play hockey right? Do you still skate?’ I said I did,” he recalled at that time.
" ‘You have an audition at Sky Rink;Paul Newmanis doing a hockey film.’ " he continued. “At the audition I look out, they’re already on the ice but they can’t skate and my heart almost leapt out of my chest because I realized at that point I had a shot, that I was better than these guys.”
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Slap Shotstarred Newman as a player-coach of a struggling Pennsylvania minor league hockey team called the Charlestown Chiefs, who amplify the amount of violence in their games as a strategy to make the team more popular.
The film marked D’Amato’s third onscreen role after an uncredited appearance in 1973’sMagnum Forceand an appearance in a 1977 episode ofCode R. D’Amato notably played antagonist Tim “Dr. Hook” McCracken, a player on the team the Chiefs play in their league championship game.
“I gotta tell you, first line I ever had in a movie – first job, first line – I’m looking at my idol Butch Cassidy, I’m looking at the guy that didCool Hand Luke, I’m looking at the guy who didThe Stingand I have to look him in the eye and say, ‘Dunlop! You s–k c–k!’ " he toldWorcester Magazineof acting opposite Newman. “I was a little nervous. Working with Newman was like working with a friend. He was great, he was accessible. He was that easy.”
Paul Newman (left), Yvan Ponton, Stephen Mendillo and Allan F Nicholls in ‘Slap Shot’.Silver Screen Collection/Getty
Silver Screen Collection/Getty
D’Amato continued to act for decades following his role inSlap Shot. He made various appearances onLaw & Orderand its spinoff seriesCriminal Intentin the 1990s and 2000s and appeared in movies like 1978’sThe Deer Hunterand 1997’sSix Ways to Sunday.
He is credited with undertaking 25 roles total onIMDb, having last appeared on screen in a 2009 episode of ABC’sThe Unusuals.
source: people.com
