Tony Todd

Tony Todd
Todd in 2023
Born	Anthony Tiran Todd[1] (1954-12-04)December 4, 1954 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	November 6, 2024(2024-11-06) (aged 69) Marina del Rey, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1986–2024
Children	2
Relatives	Evetta Lyons Gaither, Fatima Cortez-Todd, Alexander Todd, Ariana Todd, Monique Dupree

Anthony Tiran Todd (December 4, 1954 – November 6, 2024) was an American actor known for his distinctly deep and gravely voice. He was best known for playing the title character in the Candyman film series (1992–2021) and William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise (2000–2025). For the former, he was nominated at the Critics' Choice and Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

Todd's films include Platoon (1986), Night of the Living Dead (1990), The Crow (1994), The Rock (1996), Wishmaster (1997), Hatchet, Minotaur (both 2006), The Man from Earth (2007), Frankenstein (2015), Death House (2017), and Hell Fest (2018). On television, he played Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990–1991) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1996), and appeared in the MTV series Scream (2019).

Todd was a prolific voice actor, notably voicing the Vortigaunts in the Half-Life series of games, the Fallen in Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Zoom in The Flash (2014–2023), Darkseid in the DC Animated Movie Universe (2015–2020), and Venom in the 2023 video game Marvel's Spider-Man 2.^[2][3] For the latter, he received a British Academy Games Award nomination. Todd's final role was that of Locus in the 2024 video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which received critical acclaim.^[4]

Todd was born on December 4, 1954, in Washington, D.C., the son of Evetta Lyons Gaither.^[5][6] He grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, attending local schools including Hartford Public High School.^[7][8] He was also an alumnus of the Artists Collective, Inc.^[9] Todd attended the University of Connecticut and then went on to study theater at the Tony Award-winning Eugene O'Neill National Actors Theatre Institute,^[10] and the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island.^[9] Tony has one living brother, Isaiah Lyons and one living sister, Monique Dupree.^[11]

Todd appeared in more than 100 theatrical and television films and played opposite many major Hollywood stars. His film credits include: Platoon (1986), Night of the Living Dead (1990), Candyman^[12] (1992), The Crow (1994), The Rock (1996), Wishmaster (1997), the Final Destination series (2000–2025), Minotaur (2006), and Beg (2010).^[13] Todd was the voice of The Fallen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and was also in the Rel Dowdell film Changing the Game.^[14] Todd was a special guest of the Weekend of Horror Creation Entertainment on May 23, 2010,^[15] and Screamfest LA.^[16] Todd portrayed Reverend Zombie in Hatchet II, which was released in a limited number of theatres on October 1, 2010. His signature baritone voice narrated several works, including the 2021 documentary Invisible Threads: From Wireless to War.^[17][18] Todd returned as William Bludworth, when he filmed Final Destination: Bloodlines in 2024.^[19]

Todd has acted on and off Broadway. Among his many roles are August Wilson's King Hedley II, Athol Fugard's The Captain's Tiger, for which he received the Helen Hayes nomination. Others include No Place to be Somebody,^[20] Les Blancs, Playboys of the West Indies, Othello, Zooman and The Sign, award-winning playwright Keith Glover's Dark Paradise, Aida (on Broadway), and Levee James for the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference and The New Dramatist Guild.^{[21][better source needed]}

Todd's other television appearances include a recurring role on Boston Public and guest appearances on Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess as Cecrops, The X-Files, Smallville, Psych, 24, Charmed, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, Criminal Minds, 21 Jump Street, and Chuck.

Todd is one of the few actors to have portrayed two different speaking roles on 24. He was initially cast as Detective Michael Norris in season three and four years later as General Benjamin Juma in both 24: Redemption and season 7.^[22] He also played a major role in the Babylon 5 TV film A Call to Arms.

He portrayed several characters in the Star Trek universe: Worf's brother Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, an adult Jake Sisko in the episode "The Visitor" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and an Alpha Hirogen in the episode "Prey" in Star Trek: Voyager. In 2017, Todd returned to the world of Star Trek as General Rodek in the MMORPG game Star Trek Online.

Todd also provided the voices of the Decepticon Dreadwing on Transformers: Prime, and Icon in Young Justice.

In 2015, Todd was cast as the disguised voice of Zoom (portrayed by Teddy Sears when undisguised) in the second season of The Flash. Todd would later reprise his role in the fifth season episodes "What's Past Is Prologue" and "Godspeed" (though the latter featured archive audio of Todd instead) and returned to the role one last time for the series finale, "A New World, Part Four".

On October 12, 2018, it was confirmed by Bloody Disgusting that Todd would star in a recurring role in Scream: Resurrection, the third season of the slasher television series Scream.^[23] The season premiered on VH1 on July 8, 2019.^[24]

Todd played the title character in Bleak December Inc.'s 2016 audio drama adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.^[25]

Todd was the narrator of the spoken word version of Ice Nine Kills' album The Silver Scream, released on June 29, 2023.^[26]

Todd was married to Fatima Cortez-Todd, with whom he had two children, Alexander and Ariana.^[27] He died at his home in Marina del Rey, California, from stomach cancer on November 6, 2024, four weeks before his 70th birthday.^[28][29]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Todd.

• Tony Todd at IMDb
• Tony Todd at Memory Alpha
• Tony Todd discography at Discogs