Charles Hallahan
Charles John Hallahan (July 29, 1943 – November 25, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor known for his performances in "Going in Style", "The Thing", "Cast a Deadly Spell", and "Dante's Peak". He was also best known as Capt. Charlie Devane on "Hunter" from 1986 to 1991 and Chet Wilke in "Lou Grant" (1979–1982). Life and career. Hallahan was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Rutgers University-Camden, and earned an MFA from Temple University. During his acting career he was often cast as a police officer, and may have been best known as LAPD  Captain Charlie Devane on "Hunter". He was memorable for his portrayal of the nameless "Coach" in "Vision Quest", opposite Matthew Modine. He also served in the US Navy in the early 1960s, including time as a Navy hospital corpsman stationed in Puerto Rico. In 1982, he portrayed geologist Vance Norris in the remake of "The Thing". His most notable role came when he portrayed volcanologist Dr. Paul Dreyfus in the 1997 disaster-thriller film "Dante's Peak". Hallahan also co-starred as a regular cast member in two popular television series, "Grace Under Fire" and the long-running "The Paper  Chase". His brother, Fr. Kenneth Hallahan, was a Roman Catholic priest in New Jersey. Death. In 1997, Hallahan was cast as Liam Bilby for the "" episode "". On November 25, 1997, he died of an apparent heart attack while driving his car in Los Angeles. Nick Tate assumed the role of Liam Bilby in Hallahan's memory. Hallahan is buried in the Old Church Cemetery, Cobh, Ireland.