Horror Legend Tony Todd Passes

By Owen Quinn author

Usually when someone writes about the passing of a celeb then it is to get hits but not me. I only write about those people that have been part of my life in this crazy sci fi and horror world I love so much.

And the sad news of the passing of the legend and I mean legend, that is Tony Todd is one such person. Everybody will talk about Candyman but for me that wasn’t the highlight. Not that I particularly want to meet a man with a hook for a hand any time but Tony seemed to be everywhere.

With that amazing silky voice and those eyes, he elevated even the most meagre horror movie to a new level. He had an intensity about him that sang from the screen no matter what the genre he appeared in.

While his Star Trek connections are well known and well loved especially as Worf’s brother Kurn in multiple episodes of both TNG and DS9 but especially his debut, Sins of the Father still stands as one of his best performances. I love the ending where he has no choice but turn his back on his brother and send him into disgraced exile to cover the crimes of another. Beautifully done without saying a single word. You can feel Kurn’s pain and anger as he is forced to sacrifice his brother for the sake of the Klingon Empire.

While he is perfect as the first Hirogen warrior, seven foot giant hunters that go up against Voyager, it is his portrayal of an adult Jake Sisko in the episode The Visitor that stands to this day as a fan favourite. When Captain Sisko is lost in time, Jake dedicates his life to finding a way to find his father and bring him back. He recounts the tale to a young writing student and a fan of his even though he has only ever written two books. It is a stormy night and the night he knows he will be able to save his father after decades of failure. He knows because somehow his father is tethered to him in time and only by Jake killing himself will the tether break and send his father back to the day of the accident and restore their timeline.

It is a disgrace sci fi is ignored in award ceremonies performance wise because the scenes between Avery Brooks and Tony Todd as Jake lies dying to save his dad are electric. it highlights the love between father and son in a way never seen before on Star Trek and is still as emotionally powerful today as it was back then. If you line up all the characters Todd has played in Trek, you can see his versatility and just how good he is at commanding the audience to look in his direction.

But for me the role I love him in was Reverend Zombie in the Hatchet 1 & 2 movies but in the second one he took centre stage as the slippery reverend that did illegal boat tours to the land of Victor Crowley in Honey Island swamp. It doesn’t matter if punters come back as long he gets their cash. But his performance is so good as the film reunites nearly all the horror iconic actors we know and love into a hunting party to bring down Victor Crowley and end the curse. We get to see Tony’s full on comic timing as literally Candyman goes against Victor Crowley. It is brilliantly done and Zombie is perfect as he realises he has underestimated Crowley played by Kane Hodder who also plays Crowley’s tragic dad as well as Jason  Vorhees. It is the crossover you never knew you needed and Tony Todd revels in the whole thing. He holds it all together with a charm and mischievous wink to the audience so perfectly that you will never see the likes of this ever again.

Now he has died at the age of 69 and fans all across will watch something he was in. For me it will be the Visitor and Hatchet 2 but Tony Todd will always be alive for those of us that loved his work and those of you that were lucky enough to meet him will remember what a gent he was.

Rest easy sir. Your legacy will be around for a very long time.