Leon Rippy (born October 30, 1949,

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...

) is an American character actor. Active on screen since 1983, Rippy has appeared in numerous films and recurring roles on television. He is best known for his roles as Earl the Angel on the series '' Saving Grace'', saloon owner

Tom Nuttall Thomas Albert Bradshaw Nuttall (February 1889 – October 1963) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Southend United, Everton and Manchester United. Personal life Nuttall served as a lance ...

on the series ''

Deadwood Deadwood may refer to: Places Canada * Deadwood, Alberta * Deadwood, British Columbia * Deadwood River, a tributary of the Dease River in northern British Columbia United States * Deadwood, California (disambiguation), several communiti ...

'' and militiaman John Billings in '' The Patriot'' (2000).

Career

Rippy's acting career developed through appearances in regional theatrical productions. He founded and operated two theatre companies.Uncredited
Biography of Leon Rippy
TV.com. Retrieved 2013-02-09. Rippy has appeared in more than seventy plays. His non-acting occupations have included working with a circus and as a foreman of a cattle ranch.Uncredited
Biography of Leon Rippy
Filmbug. Retrieved 2013-02-09. At one time he was regarded as an accomplished ballet dancer. Rippy has worked with

Roland Emmerich Roland Emmerich (; born 10 November 1955) is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the industry. His films, most of wh ...

on seven movies: '' Moon 44'' (1990), '' Eye of the Storm'' (1991), ''Universal Soldier'' (1992), ''

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen b ...

'' (1994), ''

The Thirteenth Floor ''The Thirteenth Floor'' is a 1999 science fiction neo-noir film written and directed by Josef Rusnak, and produced by Roland Emmerich through his Centropolis Entertainment company. It is loosely based upon '' Simulacron-3'' (1964), a novel by ...

'' (1999), ''The Patriot'' (2000), and '' Eight Legged Freaks'' (2002). He also had roles in ''

The Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...

'' (2004) and ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' (2013). His television appearances include a guest role on '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (" The Neutral Zone"), ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a ph ...

'', ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the T ...

'', ''

Werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposel ...

'', '' Leverage'', '' Six Feet Under'', and ''

'', a HBO series in which he played

. Rippy co-starred in the TNT crime drama series '' Saving Grace''. He also appeared in '' North and South'' as Sanders, and in ''

Alcatraz Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pri ...

'' as Dr. Beauregard.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Leon Rippy at HBO: ''Deadwood''About ''Saving Grace''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rippy, Leon 1949 births Male actors from South Carolina American male film actors American male television actors Living people People from Rock Hill, South Carolina 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors