David Huffman (other)
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David Oliver Huffman (May 10, 1945 – February 27, 1985) was an American actor and producer.


Personal life

Huffman was born on May 10, 1945, in
Berwyn, Illinois Berwyn () is a suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, Coterminous municipality, coterminous with Berwyn Township, Illinois, Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township, Cook County, Illinois, ...
, to Clarence and Opal Huffman (née Dippel). Huffman married casting director Phyllis Huffman (''nee'' Grennan) in 1967, whom he had met as a student at
Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri, United States. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The university has an alumni net ...
in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. The couple had two sons and remained married until Huffman's death in 1985. Huffman was an avid sailor, recreational painter, and country‐and‐western guitarist.


Murder

On the morning of February 27, 1985, 16-year-old Genaro Samano Villanueva was taken into
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
police custody after attempting to steal a radio from a car near his home. Released into the custody of his high school vice principal, Villanueva left school and went to Balboa Park. There he was spotted by Canadian tourist Jack Beamer prowling around inside the
motor home A motorhome (or coach) is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which is as the name suggests, like a home on wheels. Features Motorhomes usually have sleeping spaces for two to eight people. Each sleeping space is either fixed o ...
of Beamer's friends. After Beamer accosted him, Villanueva fled the scene. Huffman, who was cast in the play ''
Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...
'' at the
Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which is collec ...
and was set to begin work on the television miniseries '' North and South'' the following week, had visited the theatre shortly before noon to share cookies with the cast and crew and was sitting in his van near the theatre playing his bagpipes when he saw Beamer confront Villanueva. He gave chase in his vehicle, parking the van near the
Spreckels Organ Pavilion The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is an outdoor venue that houses the open-air Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park in San Diego, California. With more than 5,000 pipes, the Spreckels Organ is the world's largest pipe organ in a ful ...
and following Villanueva into the park. When he caught up with Villanueva, the two became involved in a physical altercation, during which Villanueva stabbed Huffman twice in the chest with a screwdriver. Huffman died of
exsanguination Exsanguination is the loss of blood from the circulatory system of a vertebrate, usually leading to death. The word comes from the Latin 'sanguis', meaning blood, and the prefix 'ex-', meaning 'out of'. Exsanguination has long been used as a met ...
, likely within 30 to 45 seconds. His body was found less than an hour later in a Palm Canyon crevice by a group of children, although it was not positively identified until later that night. On March 2 and 3,
Crime Stoppers Crime Stoppers or Crimestoppers is a community program that assists people in providing anonymous information about criminal activity. Often managed by non-profit groups or the police, it operates separately from the emergency telephone number s ...
produced a reenactment of the crime that was shown on San Diego television and published in several national newspapers. The Canadian tourists whose motor home was burglarized saw Huffman's photo and death announcement in the newspaper and called police. Villanueva was arrested on March 12 after a police officer recognized Villanueva from a composite sketch given to police by the Canadian tourist. On June 24, 1986, Villanueva was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison and admitted to the
California State Prison, Centinela California State Prison, Centinela (CEN) is a male-only state prison located in Imperial County, California, approximately from Imperial and El Centro. The facility is sometimes referenced Centinela State Prison. Facilities CEN is situated ...
. On December 9, 2011, he was denied parole for 15 years.


Broadway stage credits

*''
Butterflies Are Free ''Butterflies Are Free'' is a 1972 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Milton Katselas from a screenplay by Leonard Gershe, based on Gershe's 1969 play. The film stars Goldie Hawn, Eileen Heckart, and Edward Albert. It follows ...
'' as Don Baker (October 21, 1969 – July 2, 1972)


Filmography


References


External links

* *
David Huffman
Aveleyman)
David Huffman at Find A Grave
*Huffman and Gloria Swanson in 1972 play version ''Butterflies Are Free'':
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archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffman, David 1945 births 1985 deaths 1985 murders in the United States 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Deaths by stabbing in California Male actors from Illinois People from Berwyn, Illinois People murdered in California Murdered actors Television producers from Illinois 20th-century American businesspeople