Wilford Brimley, 'Cocoon' and 'Natural' actor, dies at 85
LOS ANGELES - Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from stunt performer to the star of films such as "Cocoon" and "The Natural," has died. He was 85.

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA - SEPTEMBER 24: Actor Wilford Brimley attends the 50th Anniversary Stuntmens Gala Honoring Harrison Ford on September 24, 2011 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)
Brimley's manager Lynda Bensky said the actor died Saturday morning in a Utah hospital. He was on dialysis and had several medical ailments, she said.
The mustached Brimley was a familiar face for a number of roles, often playing gruff characters like his grizzled baseball manager in "The Natural."
Brimley's best-known work was in "Cocoon," in which he was part of a group of seniors who discover an alien pod that rejuvenates them. The 1985 Ron Howard film won two Oscars, including a supporting actor honor for Don Ameche.
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Brimley also starred in "Cocoon: The Return," a 1988 sequel. For years he was a pitchman for Quaker Oats and in recent years appeared in a series of diabetes spots that turned him at one point into a social media sensation.
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"Wilford Brimley was a man you could trust," Bensky said in a statement. "He said what he meant and he meant what he said. He had a tough exterior and a tender heart. I'm sad that I will no longer get to hear my friend's wonderful stories. He was one of a kind."
Though never nominated for an Oscar or Emmy Award, Brimley amassed an impressive list of credits. In 1993's John Grisham adaptation "The Firm," Brimley starred opposite Tom Cruise as a tough-nosed investigator who deployed ruthless tactics to keep his law firm's secrets safe.
A Utah native, Brimley's Hollywood career started in the late 1960s as a stuntman, where he forged a friendship with Robert Duvall. Duvall's encouragement led Brimley to seek more prominent acting roles and his career took off after his appearance in 1979's "The China Syndrome," according to a biography prepared by Turner Classic Movies. Brimley had a recurring role as a blacksmith on "The Waltons" and the 1980s prime-time series "Our House."
In recent years, Brimley's pitchwork for Liberty Mutual had turned him into an internet sensation for his drawn-out pronunciation of diabetes as "diabeetus." He owned the pronunciation in a tweet that drew hundreds of thousands of likes earlier this year.
Brimley is survived by his wife Beverly and three sons.