Actor Sonny Landham dies aged 76.
We’re sad to report that actor Sonny Landham has passed away from congestive heart failure at the age of 76. Sonny, who had Native American roots and was a descendant of the Cherokee and Seminole nations, was best known for his role of the stoic tracker Billy Sole in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Predator directed by John McTiernan. His sister, Dawn Boehler, said the actor died from heart failure at a hospital in Kentucky, U.S, on Thursday.
He entered the movie business after working in pornography in the 1970s and later attempted a political career. The star had a son, William, and daughter, Priscilla.
Fans of the 1987 action/sci-fi classic flocked to Twitter to express their condolences with one fan saying, “RIP Sonny Landham – Rock Heaven like your rocked the jungles of Val Verde.”
The actor also played a bit part in Walter Hill’s seminal 1979 street-gang thriller, The Warriors before the director cast him as the trigger-happy criminal Billy Bear in 1982’s 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy.