Bruce French dead at 79: Actor appeared as Father Lonigan in the soap Passions

Actor Bruce French who has died at the age of 79, had been married to Days of Our Lives actress Eileen Barnett for 34 years, she told The Hollywood Reporter that he had died because of complications from Alzheimer’s

Bruce French was born on the Fourth of July, 1945, in Reinbeck, Iowa, US. After graduating from the University of Iowa, he served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “He starred off-Broadway in 1972 in The Shadow of a Gunman, then made his onscreen debut in the Frank Perry-directed Man on a Swing (1974), starring Cliff Robertson and Joel Grey. He followed with two other notable films released in 1978: Hal Ashby’s Coming Home and Robert Mulligan’s Bloodbrothers.”

Bruce French went on to appear in well known TV shows such as Ally McBeal, Grey’s Anatomy, The West Wing, Cheers, Moonlighting, Mad Men and Gilmore Girls. He was also well known for his contribution to Star Trek, both on TV and film.

Bruce French starred in the Enterprise, Voyager and The Next Generation, he also was in the film Star Trek: Insurrection in 1998. As well as working in the theatre, Bruce French played the character of Father Lonigan, a blind priest in the soap opera Passions.

Actor and friend Barry Cutler paid tribute to Bruce French on Facebook and wrote: “I first met Bruce in either 1978 or 1979. I had been rehearsing several roles in Doris Balzley’s wonderful adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, when, the night before we were to fly to Arizona for a one-week run before opening at the Mark Taper Forum, our Scrooge broke his leg and I was thrown into the role unrehearsed. Bruce was brought in to replace me in my roles.”

Barry went on to say that “Bruce seemed to me a best friend who just fell out of the sky. He cheered me on and presented me with a lovely ugly Scrooge mug for opening night.”

Claire French, Bruce French’s niece also paid tribute to her uncle on Facebook and wrote: “The world is a dimmer place today, missing this amazing light that has gone out. She also said: “We will miss Uncle Bruce tremendously, but are confident that he is joyously reunited with his beloved mom and in the seat he told my dad to save him 💔”

Bruce French is survived by his wife Eileen Barnett and nieces Claire and Paula.