Earl Boen, the actor who portrayed Dr. Peter Silberman in The Terminator movies and voiced the evil pirate LeChuck in the Monkey Island games, passed away last Thursday, aged 81, Variety reports. The actor had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer last year.
Born in 1941, Boen appeared in countless stage plays, TV shows, and films during his 60-plus-year career, most notably starring in The Terminator movies as the criminal psychologist who doubted the heroes about the impending machine threat.
During his career, he also contributed his voice to several video games, including World of Warcraft, Metal Gear Solid 2, Eternal Darkness, Baldur's Gate, and Psychonauts. Though he's perhaps best known to video game fans as the iconic voice of LeChuck in the Monkey Island series.
Boen joined the Monkey Island cast in The Curse of Monkey Island, which was the first game in the series to feature full-voice acting. He later reprised the role in Escape From Monkey Island, Tales of Monkey Island, and The Monkey Island Special Editions, but unfortunately, health issues prevented him from returning in last year's follow-up Return to Monkey Island. The Lucasfilm executive producer Craig Derrick, who worked with Boen on a number of Monkey Island games, posted a tribute to the actor on Twitter, which we'll share below.
Boen is survived by his wife Cathy, daughter Ruby and grandchildren Kimo Harbin and Kimmy Abaricia. Our thoughts are with them, as well as his friends and others he knew during this difficult time.