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The veteran character actor shared the screen with Timothy Dalton, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger

Frank McRae, a mainstay of action blockbusters including “License to Kill” and “Last Action Hero,” has died. He was 80.

McRae died of a heart attack on April 29 in Santa Monica, Calif., his daughter-in-law confirmed.

Born in Memphis, McRae excelled in high school sports before attending Tennessee State University, where he double-majored in history and drama. He played defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears’ 1967 season before deciding to transition into acting.

McRae’s work on the big screen would quickly overshadow his football accomplishments, with the actor going on to appear in over 40 films. His breakout role came in the 1973 gangster flick “Dillinger,” a part he got by standing in a studio exec’s parking space until he was granted a meeting, according to IMDb.

The actor shrewdly leveraged his 6-foot-5 frame into a run of...

Frank McRae, an NFL player-turned-actor who appeared in the James Bond film Licence to Kill and in the Last Action Hero, died April 29 of a heart attack in Santa Monica. He was 80, The news was confirmed by his daughter-in-law, Suzanne McRae.

Born in Memphis, he attended Tennessee State University as a double major in drama and history, then moved on to the NFL as a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.

After his football career, he became a character actor in the entertainment industry, appearing in more than 40 movies. His résumé includes Last Action Hero with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hard Times, Norma Rae, Red Dawn, Big Wednesday and F.I.S.T. with Sylvester Stallone, with whom he also appeared in Paradise Alley, Lock Up and Rocky II.

McRae also appeared in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill as Sharkey, a close friend of Timothy Dalton’s Agent 007...

Frank McRae, the actor who appeared in films such as “Licence to Kill” and “Last Action Hero,” has died. He was 80.

McRae died in Santa Monica, Calif. on April 29 as a result of a heart attack, his daughter-in-law confirmed to Variety.

The NFL player-turned-actor was born in Memphis, Tenn. A star athlete in high school, he went on to Tennessee State University as a double major in drama and history. McRae had a brief career as a professional football player and was the defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams.

Making the pivot to a new kind of stage, McRae found his calling in the entertainment industry. In his 30-plus years as a character actor, he appeared in over 40 movies. Standing at approximately six-and-a-half feet tall, McRae took advantage of scooping up tough guy roles in movies like “Hard Times,” “Big Wednesday” and “F.I.S.T.” with Sylvester Stallone.

This month on Amazon Prime Video UK sees the final three episodes of Neil Gaiman fantasy drama American Gods arrive, along with the first three episodes of new comic book animated series Invincible, adapted from the books by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.

Movies-wise, there’s the sequel to John Landis’ 1988 comedy Coming To America, which follows the story of Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem as he’s drawn back to the US ahead of taking on Zamunda’s throne. Also, in his most anticipated role since he put on a beanie for those Kia car ads, Robert de Niro plays a granddad fighting with his young grandson over the use of a bedroom in The War With Grandpa.

Also – tennis, and a collection of existing movies including the very good Call Me By Your Name, which lands on the 26th. We’ll update this guide as new release...

Ronald L. Schwary, who won the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing Robert Redford’s “Ordinary People,” died on July 2 in West Hollywood, Calif. He was 76.

Schwary, an Oregon native, had broken into the entertainment business through his friendship with John Wayne while working as a manager of the USC football team. Wayne assisted Schwary in getting work as a stand-in for Dustin Hoffman on “The Graduate” and as an extra in “Planet of the Apes.”

Schwary also became a DGA Trainee, which led to the start of his career as an assistant

director in the early 1970s. He began working with Jerry Lewis, Elvis, Peter Fonda, Ann-Margret, Jack Lemmon, and Walter Matthau and eventually became a production

manager with the assistance of director Bob Butler, and producer Ray Stark.

Schwary was hired by Redford as the sole producer on “Ordinary People” after Schwary had worked as an associate...

Ronald L. Schwary, Oscar-winning producer of Robert Redford’s 1980 drama “Ordinary People,” died on July 2 at age 76, his family announced.

He was forced into retirement in 2015 due to a rare neurological autonomic disorder that he had been struggling with. His death was due to complications of his disorder. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his sons.

Schwary’s extensive career as a producer took off in 1978 after serving as an associate producer on the film adaptation of the Neil Simon play “California Suite,” starring Jane Fonda, Alan Alda, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor and many others. That same year, he also served as associate producer and production manager for the Sydney Pollack-directed film “The Electric Horseman,” starring Fonda and Robert Redford.

Also Read: Bettina Gilois, 'McFarland USA' and 'Bessie' Screenwriter, Dies at 58

The following year, Redford hired Schwary as the sole producer for his directorial debut, “Ordinary People.” That film...

NEW DELHI -- Mumbai-based film production company UTV Motion Pictures will produce Indian writer-director Vishal Bhardwaj's next film, with the working title Rangoon Express.

The film is co-written by Bhardwaj and writer-director Matthew Robbins (Batteries Not Included). In an interview Thursday, Bhardwaj said: "The film is set in 1943 Burma during the Second World War when Indian soldiers were fighting for the British against Japan. It's a musical love story revolving around an English stuntwoman acting in Indian films of that time."

Shooting is expected to begin around November and the film is set to be ready for release by April 2008. The film will be in English interspersed with Bollywood-style Hindi songs of that era.

UTV CEO Ronnie Screwvala said the film's budget "would be in the region of $10 million-$11 million. We have the financing in place, and depending on what kind of international tie-ups we do for marketing, we could consider offering a share to potential partners.

"UTV has existing relationships with banners such as Fox Searchlight (with whom UTV co-produced Mira Nair's The Namesake) and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment, among others.