Denis Arndt, who starred in several shows for David E. Kelly including “L.A. Law,” as well as in the Broadway performance of “Heisenberg,” has died. He was 86.
Arndt’s death was announced by his family, who wrote in part, “He died peacefully in his bed in his beloved cabin home of almost 50 years in Ashland, Oregon; he wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
“The year he was born, 1939, the Wizard of Oz came out showing the first movie in color after Dorothy found Oz. That was like Dad’s life. It started out in black and white and blossomed into a life of color, brilliance, daring adventure, and passion. And it was also a little bit trippy, like Oz,” the family continued.
Arndt debuted as “L.A. Law” lawyer Jack Sollers during the show’s fifth season in 1990. He again played a lawyer on “Picket Fences” for four seasons and spent the following years in and out of Kelley’s productions, including “Chicago Sky,” “Ally McBeal,” “Boston Public,” and “Boston Legal.”
He took on the role of Alex Priest in Simon Stephnens’ “Heisenberg” at age 77. In the play, his character has the opportunity to explore the possibility of love again in his senior years after a woman mysteriously kisses him at a train station.
“He had absolutely given up on love and made his peace with it,” Arndt told Broadway World in 2016. “Love is a synaptic connection in your brain,” he continued. “Alex doesn’t talk about his emotional response to the world, he sees that as a problem. Alex likes the rational reality of how animals fit together and that cows have a seam.”
“He knows where he is in time,” Arndt also said, “and he’s no pushover. He’s not searching for anything, he’s there at the end of his life, there’s not much time left.”
Arndt also added that he liked the character because he could relate to him. “We’re both old men in a society that doesn’t have much for old men to do,” Arndt said. “He likes the rationality of how animals fit together and how he and Georgie fit together. He’s almost stoic, not materialistic, certain about the spiritual side because he has a deceased sister he talks to in his dreams.”
In addition to his Hollywood career, Arndt’s family also wrote, “Dad was a Vietnam veteran helicopter pilot who was awarded the Purple Heart twice. He went on to fly helicopters in Alaska. After leaving the dangerous life of a helicopter pilot, he moved to Seattle, where a friend persuaded him to audition for a local theatre.”
“Of course, Dad got the main role,” the obituary continued. “And he was brilliant. He carried his brilliance, passion, and dedication into his second career as an actor, both on stage and on screen. He spent multiple seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.”
“In his own way, Dad lived his life as a full and generous performance, known for his incredible wit, charm, rebel spirit, irreverence, sense of humor, grittiness, and passion for his art. His legacy, both on and off stage, will live on in the hearts of family, friends, and community members.”
Arndt was born on February 23, 1939, in Issaquah, Washington. Following his military service he graduated from the University of Washington and founded the Intiman Theatre in 1972.
Denis Arndt is survived by his wife Magee Downey and their three children, Bryce, McKenna and Tanner, as well as by his four children Scott, Tammy, Laurie, and Kirsten, and “many” grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
