Beau Starr, a one-time football player who achieved success as an actor, has passed away. He was 81 years old.
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His brother, Mike Starr, told TMZ that he had passed away peacefully of natural causes in Vancouver, Canada.
Starr spent his college years playing football while lining up at tight end. He joined the New York Jets as spent three seasons on the practice squad before heading to the Canadian Football League.
Starr played for the Montreal Alouettes in 1969 and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1970. According to Stats Crew, he posted 686 receiving yards and one touchdown in 1969. He added 134 receiving yards and another touchdown in 1970.
The New York native shifted gears after his time in the CFL. He moved into acting and landed his first role on the sketch TV series Bizarre. He then made small appearances in various TV shows such as Seeing Things, TJ Hooker, Cagney & Lacey, Three's Company, Knight Rider, and St. Elsewhere among others. He even played three different roles in The A-Team.
Unfortunately we just got the news that Beau Starr has sadly passed away. He portrayed Sheriff Meeker in Halloween 4 & 5… rest in peace 🧡 pic.twitter.com/GV0yC7o8MC
— Halloween Movie Source (@SourceHalloween) May 2, 2026
Starr's time in Hollywood also included roles in a wide variety of films. For example, he joined the cast of the Chevy Chase-led Fletch, which released in 1985.
Of course, most of Starr's fans know him from two wildly different film roles. He appeared as Sheriff Ben Meeker in both Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989).
He then appeared in Martin Scorsese's 1990 film, Goodfellas. He played Henry Hill's father in the popular mafia film also starring Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Robert De Niro.
"Beau enjoyed a rich and meaningful life," Christopher Serrone, who played the young Henry Hill, wrote on Instagram.
"He was a son, brother, father, grandfather, actor and NFL/CFL player. Please take a moment to help me remember a great guy. RIP."
