Academy Award nominee Michael J. Pollard, a character actor best known for his roles in "Bonnie and Clyde" and "House of 1,000 Corpses," has died at the age of 80.
Pollard died Wednesday of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Los Angeles, his longtime friend Dawn Walk told The New York Times.
"House of 1,000 Corpses" director Rob Zombie broke the news on Facebook Friday morning.
"We have lost another member of our HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES family. I woke up to the news that Michael J. Pollard had died. I have always loved his work and his truly unique on screen presence. He was one of the first actors I knew I had to work with as soon as I got my first film off the ground. He will be missed," Zombie wrote.
Pollard began his acting career in the 1960's, with appearances on "Lost in Space" and "Star Trek," according to VARIETY. He earned an Oscar nomination for his breakout role as C.W. Moss, the gas station attendant turned accomplice, in the 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde."
More recently, Pollard appeared in Zombie's 2000 cult classic "House of 1,000 Corpses."
Actor Michael J. Fox adopted the "J" in his name as a tribute to Pollard, according to his foundation website. Fox explained in his 2002 autobiography that the decision came about because the Screen Actors Guild already had a "Michael Fox" in its ranks, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"And then I remembered one of my favorite character actors, Michael J. Pollard, the guileless accomplice in Bonnie and Clyde," Fox wrote in his 2002 autobiography, The Hollywood Reporter stated.
