Michael J. Pollard, actor in House of 1000 Corpses and Scrooged, dies at 80

Michael J. Pollard, a veteran actor known for his roles in Scrooged (1988) and House of 1000 Corpses (2003), has died at the age of 80, Rob Zombie confirmed on his Facebook page today.

"We have lost another member of our House of 1000 Corpses family," wrote the horror director. "I woke up to the news that Michael J. Pollard had died. I have always loved his work and his truly unique on-screen presence. He was one of the first actors I knew I had to work with as soon as I got my first film off the ground. He will be missed. I can't believe all three of my friends in this picture are now gone."

Born in Passaic, New Jersey, in May of 1939, Pollard began his acting career began in 1958 with a segment on Omnibus, an educational variety show hosted by Alistair Cooke. For the next 61 years, he appeared in projects like Bonnie and Clyde (the 1967 movie), Tales From the Crypt, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Toxic Crusaders, and the original Star Trek series.

"Michael J. Pollard was one of a kind. Made every film he was in better. You sat up and took notice. I met him once on the street in Beverly Hills and tried to pay him a compliment. He growled at me. I mean - literally growled at me. It was a perfect moment," wrote producer Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood, Dolemite Is My Name) on Twitter.