Actor Earl Boen, Best Known For Terminator Film Franchise Role, Several TV Roles Including On Who’s The Boss, Plus An Eclectic Voice Work Resume Including G.I. Joe: The Movie and Video Game Star Trek Armada II, Passes Away At 81! RIP.
THR reports.
Earl Boen, Actor in the ‘Terminator’ Films, Dies at 81
He played psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the celebrated franchise and was hired by James Cameron because he was “special,” says actor Michael Biehn.
Earl Boen, the busy character actor best known for his stint as the criminal psychologist Peter Silberman in the Terminator film franchise, died Thursday in Hawaii, his daughter told The Hollywood Reporter. He was 81.
Ruby Harbin said her dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in November and died quietly in his sleep.
Born on Aug. 8, 1941, Boen amassed dozens of credits during his career. In 1984, he landed his most notable role as Dr. Silberman in James Cameron’s The Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn. He reprised the role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).
One memorable scene in the first Terminator saw the character interrogate Biehn’s Kyle Reese, a freedom fighter from the future that the psychologist believed suffered from paranoid delusions. Nearly 40 years later, Biehn recalled fondly his time working with Boen on the scene.
“He was a wonderful actor, and he was always fun to be around,” Biehn told THR, adding that Cameron “picked Earl because he was special.”
Boen’s other film credits include Battle Beyond the Stars, The Man With Two Brains, Alien Nation, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, Sioux City, The Companion, To Be or Not to Be, Walk Like a Man and The Prince.
As for television, he made appearances in such shows as The Golden Girls, Who’s the Boss?, Mama’s Family, The Law and Harry McGraw, Webster, Matlock, Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Boy Meets World.
After he retired from screen acting in 2003, he continued to work as a voice actor in radio, animated series and video games. Some of his credits in that arena include Mr. Bleakman in Clifford the Big Red Dog, Señor Senior Sr. in Kim Possible, LeChuck in the Tales of Monkey Island video games and the narrator in some World of Warcraft video games.
In addition to his daughter, survivors include his second wife, Cathy, and grandchildren Kimmy and Kimo. His first wife, Carole, died in 2001.
On behalf of the IP team, I offer our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Earl Boen.
