Beau Starr, whose four-decade acting career included unforgettable roles in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” and the “Halloween” slasher films, died April 24, 2026, at age 81.
The character actor passed away peacefully from natural causes at his Vancouver, British Columbia, home, his younger brother Mike Starr confirmed. Mike, best known for “Dumb and Dumber,” called his late sibling “very unique and special.”
Christopher Serrone, who portrayed the young Henry Hill in Scorsese’s 1990 mob epic and appeared alongside Starr in some of the film’s most harrowing scenes, also shared the news publicly.
Sheriff Meeker and a Brutal Father
Starr portrayed the steely Sheriff Ben Meeker in both 1988’s “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” and 1989’s “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.” His performances anchored the slasher sequels with a sense of small-town authority that heightened the terror of Michael Myers’ rampages, making him a permanent fixture in horror fans’ memories.
Just one year after his second turn as Sheriff Meeker, Starr delivered a chilling performance as Ray Liotta’s abusive father in “Goodfellas,” beating young Henry — portrayed by Serrone — for skipping school to work for local mobsters. Though brief in screen time, the role became one of the film’s defining early sequences.
His former manager, Timothy Beal, told TMZ that Starr always appreciated fans who kept his work alive at conventions and screenings for decades, particularly those who followed the “Halloween” franchise.
Television Leading Man
While supporting roles were Starr’s bread and butter, he also enjoyed two significant leading roles on television. His most enduring small-screen role was Lieutenant Harding Welsh on “Due South,” the quirky odd-couple cop comedy about a Canadian Mountie teaming up with the Chicago police force. He portrayed the gruff but warmhearted commanding officer in every episode but one across the show’s four seasons from 1994 to 1999. The Canadian-made series, which originally aired on CTV and CBS before later seasons were co-financed by the BBC, developed a passionate cult audience on both sides of the Atlantic.
He also starred as Lieutenant Bill Triplett on NBC’s crime drama “True Blue,” which aired a single 12-episode season in 1989-1990.
From The Gridiron To The Soundstage
Born Sept. 1, 1944, in Queens, New York City, Starr first chased a career in professional sports before considering acting. He spent the 1966 through 1968 seasons on the New York Jets’ practice squad, then crossed the border to play in the Canadian Football League, suiting up for the Montreal Alouettes and later the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
When his football career wound down, Starr pivoted to performing. He made his onscreen debut in 1979 on the Canadian sketch comedy series “Bizarre,” where he played a rotating cast of oddball characters that helped him develop the elastic, everyman quality that would define his later work.
Throughout the 1980s, Starr became one of those reliable faces audiences couldn’t quite place but always recognized. He racked up guest spots on a roster of beloved series including “T.J. Hooker,” “Cagney & Lacey,” “Three’s Company,” “Knight Rider,” “Remington Steele,” “The A-Team,” “MacGyver,” “The Fall Guy,” “Moonlighting,” “Night Court,” “Matlock,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “NYPD Blue.” He also landed a memorable three-episode arc as Joey DeSoto on the groundbreaking police drama “Hill Street Blues.”
His film credits included 1985’s “Fletch,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” 1994’s “Speed,” 1995’s “Devil in a Blue Dress,” and 2005’s “Cinderella Man.” In 2013, Starr appeared on the USA Network detective comedy “Psych” in his final screen credit — a fitting bookend for an actor who had spent much of his career playing cops, sheriffs, and lawmen. Tributes from co-stars and fans poured in over the weekend, celebrating a working actor who built a remarkable body of work one part at a time.
Starr is survived by his brother, Mike, along with his children and grandchildren.
