Veteran American actor Tom Noonan, best known for his roles in RoboCop 2 and Last Action Hero, has d!ed at the age of 74.
His death was confirmed on Wednesday by actress Karen Sillas, his co-star in the 1994 film What Happened Was. In a statement shared on social media, Sillas said Noonan “passed peacefully” on Saturday, February 14, 2026. No cause of death was disclosed.
Paying tribute, Sillas described working with Noonan on the original Off-Broadway production of What Happened Was… as a defining moment in her career. She hailed him as a valued friend and collaborator whose legacy would endure.
Born in 1951 in Greenwich, Connecticut, Noonan began his career in theatre, appearing in the original Off-Broadway production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child in 1978. He made his film debut in 1980 with Willie & Phil, and also appeared that year in Gloria and Heaven’s Gate.
His breakthrough came in 1986 when he portrayed serial killer Francis Dolarhyde in the thriller Manhunter, opposite William Petersen. The performance cemented his reputation for playing intense and complex antagonists.
In 1987, Noonan starred as Frankenstein’s monster in the cult horror comedy The Monster Squad. He later took on the role of Cain in RoboCop 2 (1990), playing both a drug cartel leader and the cyborg RoboCop 2. Three years later, he appeared as the Ripper in the action film Last Action Hero alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Beyond acting, Noonan also worked behind the camera. He wrote and directed What Happened Was in 1994, earning critical acclaim on the independent film circuit.
Over the years, he featured in a range of films including Heat (1995), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), Synecdoche, New York (2008) and Wonderstruck (2017), which marked his final screen appearance.
Tributes from colleagues and fans have continued to pour in, remembering Noonan as a distinctive performer whose presence left a lasting mark on both independent and mainstream cinema.