Tom Noonan, known for Manhunter, Last Action Hero and Robocop 2, passed away at the age of 74

Character actor Tom Noonan, whom a generation of fans may know as The Ripper from Last Action Hero or as Cain from Robocop 2 or as Frankenstein from The Monster Squad, passed away last Saturday at the age of 74. Noonan may be known mostly from his performance as the serial killer Francis Dollarhyde, aka The Tooth Fairy, in Michael Mann’s Manhunter, which was the 1986 adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon novel and featured the first screen appearance of the character of Hannibal Lecter (prior to Silence of the Lambs) with Brian Cox in the role.

Noonan would also make appearances in dramas such as Heat, Synecdoche, New York, The Astronaut’s Wife, F/X, the show Hell on Wheels, and Anomalisa.

According to Phrasemaker, Noonan passed away peacefully, as stated by his former co-star Karen Sillas. She had posted the news on her Instagram, which read, “My dear friend and costar, Tom Noonan passed peacefully on Valentine’s Day 2026. Working with him in his original off Broadway play, ‘What Happened Was…,’ at the Paradise Factory Theater in the early nineties, was a turning point for me and my career that still resonates throughout my life and work as an actor. Little did I know when we shot it as a film a year later, we would be creating one of 1990’s most iconic Indies in American cinema. What a privilege and crazy fun it was working with this man and calling him my friend to the end… may his Legacy continue to shine on.”

As mentioned in Sillas’ statement, Noonan was also an accomplished writer and director of the stage and screen with his stage play, What Happened Was… When the film version went to Sundance in 1994, it would go on to win the Grand Jury Prize. What Happened Was… became an integral film in the independent movie scene due to its raw, emotional portrayal of intimacy.

Noonan’s breakthrough performance came with Manhunter. The actor would play the Dollarhyde character with depth and sealed his expertise at playing enigmatic outcast characters with complexity in their emotions and brought an intensity that has still been recognized to this day.

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