R.I.P. Wilford Brimley

R.I.P. to Wilford Brimley, who died earlier this week. Brimley was a beloved character actor, hawker of oatmeal and spokesman for "diabeetus" medication.

To me the most shocking thing about Brimley's death was that he was only 85! That... that can't be right, can it? I though he was that age back in the 1980s!

Case in point: Here he is in the 1985 sci-fi movie Coccon. Although Brimley played a retiree in his 60s or 70s, he was only 50 when he starred in the film! Holy crap!

Brimley played Blair in 1982's The Thing. Believe it or not, he was only 47 here. Jesus Christ, that is a HARD looking 47. No wonder I was surprised he was only 85 when he died. Did the guy EVER look young?

No. No he didn't. Here he is from a 1975 episode of Kung Fu. Brimley was a youthful 40 years old here, but looks at least twenty years older.

This was the earliest photo I could find of Brimley, from a 1974 episode of The Waltons. Believe it or not, he's only 39 here!

Most actors make a career out of playing characters much younger than they really are. Brimley's one of the few who spent his life playing old men well before his time! He's one of those people who take a long time to "grow into" their bodies!