# Leon Rippy

Leon Rippy (born October 30, 1949) is an American actor. Active on screen since 1983, Rippy has appeared in numerous films and recurring roles on television. He is best known for his roles as Earl the Angel on the series Saving Grace, saloon owner Tom Nuttall on the series Deadwood and militiaman John Billings in The Patriot (2000).

## Career

Rippy's acting career developed through appearances in regional theatrical productions. He founded and operated two theatre companies. Rippy has appeared in more than seventy plays. His non-acting occupations have included working with a circus and as a foreman of a cattle ranch. At one time he was regarded as an accomplished ballet dancer.
Rippy has worked with Roland Emmerich on seven movies: Moon 44 (1990), Eye of the Storm (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Stargate (1994), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), The Patriot (2000), and Eight Legged Freaks (2002). He also had roles in The Alamo (2004) and The Lone Ranger (2013).
His television appearances include a guest role on Star Trek: The Next Generation ("The Neutral Zone"), Quantum Leap, Walker, Texas Ranger, Werewolf, Leverage, Six Feet Under, and Deadwood, an HBO series in which he played Tom Nuttall. Rippy co-starred in the TNT crime drama series Saving Grace. He also appeared in North and South as Sanders, and in Alcatraz as Dr. Beauregard.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Chiefs | Tommy Allen | Miniseries |
| 1984 | Firestarter | Blinded Agent | |
| 1984 | Hyperspace | Roy | |
| 1984 | Chain Gang | | |
| 1984 | Tales of the Third Dimension | Freddie | Segment: "The Guardians" |
| 1985 | The Color Purple | Store Clerk | |
| 1985 | Marie | Gary Gerbitz | |
| 1985 | Rockin' Road Trip | Earl Reese | |
| 1986 | Maximum Overdrive | Brad | |
| 1986 | Raw Deal | Man in Tux | |
| 1986 | King Kong Lives | Will | |
| 1986 | No Mercy | Man #2 | |
| 1986 | North and South | Sanders | Book II, episode #1.2 |
| 1987 | The Bedroom Window | Seedy Bartender | |
| 1987 | Hit the Road Running | Doogan | |
| 1987 | Werewolf | Crawford | Episode: "Eye of the Storm" |
| 1987 | The Rutherford County Line | | aka Damon's Law |
| 1988 | Traxx | Killer | |
| 1988 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | L. Q. "Sonny" Clemmons | Episode: "The Neutral Zone" |
| 1988 | Jesse | | TV movie |
| 1988 | Track 29 | Trucker | |
| 1988 | Illegally Yours | Prosecutor | |
| 1988 | Hunter | Russ Tolson | Episode: "The Fourth Man" |
| 1988 | The Tracker | Chub Dumont | TV movie |
| 1988 | Born to Run | Joel | TV movie |
| 1989 | Hardball | | Episode: "The Cleveland Indian" |
| 1990 | Loose Cannons | Weskit | |
| 1990 | Moon 44 | Master Sergeant Sykes | |
| 1990 | Young Guns II | Bob Olinger | |
| 1990 | The Hot Spot | Deputy Tate | |
| 1990 | Quantum Leap | Sheriff Taggart | Episode: "Freedom - November 22, 1970" |
| 1991 | Eye of the Storm | Sheriff | |
| 1991 | Hard Time Romance | Hugh Dean Simpson | |
| 1992 | Universal Soldier | Woodward | |
| 1992 | Beyond the Law | Virgil | |
| 1992 | Kuffs | Kane | |
| 1993 | Perry Mason | Tex | TV movie: The Case of the Wicked Wives |
| 1993 | Diagnosis Murder | Bob Cole | Episodes: "Vanishing Act pt. 1 & 2" |
| 1993–2001 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Creede / Robert Chastain / Vince Pike / Dewey Baker | 4 episodes |
| 1994 | Stargate | Major General W. O. West | |
| 1996 | The Arrival | DOD #1 | |
| 1997 | Still Movin | Mr. Jennings | |
| 1997 | Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil | Detective Boone | |
| 1997 | Gun | Scooter | Episode: "The Hole" |
| 1997–1998 | The Visitor | Agent Nicholas LaRue | 13 episodes |
| 1999 | The Thirteenth Floor | Jane's Lawyer | |
| 1999 | CI5: The New Professionals | Lang | Episode: "Glory Days" |
| 2000 | The Patriot | John Billings | |
| 2001 | The Fugitive | Buddy LaRue | Episode: "New Orleans Saints" |
| 2001 | The Man with No Eyes | Father Patrick | Short film |
| 2002 | Eight Legged Freaks | Wade | |
| 2003 | The Life of David Gale | Braxton Belyeu | |
| 2003 | Six Feet Under | Daddy | Episode: "Tears, Bones & Desire" |
| 2004 | The Alamo | Sergeant William Ward | |
| 2004–2006 | Deadwood | Tom Nuttall | 29 episodes |
| 2006 | Gridiron Gang | Paul Higa | |
| 2007–2010 | Saving Grace | Earl | 46 episodes |
| 2011–2012 | Leverage | Jack Latimer / Mysterious Man | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Dr. Milton Beauregard | 12 episodes |
| 2013 | Under The Dome | Ollie Dinsmore | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | The Lone Ranger | Collins | |
| 2014 | Rectify | Lezlie | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | 11.22.63 | Harry Dunning | 2 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | The Blacklist | Hunter | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Deadwood: The Movie | Tom Nuttall | TV movie |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2007 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Deadwood | Nominated |