A Sweet and Sad So-Long for Sid
Article by Ray Schillaci
Actor Sid Haig has passed away and we have lost a loving and kind man that just happened to scare a lot of us and sometimes make us chuckle with the dark humor he provided in his roles. His wife’s testimony on Instagram is best summed up as a loving tribute to any of us that never had the fortune to meet him personally. I did know people that knew Sid, and they had nothing but wonderful things to say about him. My mentor, Karl Schanzer worked with him. And a good friend of mine, Ernie Dade, represented him.
In 1883, the term character actor was described in a publication, The Stage, as “one who portrays individualities and eccentricities.” So many memorable character actors over the years have graced the big and small screen with their unique talents to capture our attention, and many times develop a huge fan base. Christopher Walken, J.K. Simmons, Tilda Swinton, Danny Trejo, and Dick Miller are just a few great examples.
Some are fortunate enough to go onto leading or supporting roles that have garnered awards while others continued with a string of films that would constantly remind us how much we enjoyed them on screen. Once in a while, a character actor will latch onto a role that epitomizes his or her talent. Sid Haig was one such actor that discovered new fame and fortune when he was tagged for the role of Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses.
That was in 2003, and Haig had worked consistently since 1962. He worked alongside my mentor in the “cult classic” by filmmaker Jack Hill, Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told, He tended to play hulking menacing types, but he was far from that as friends, family and fans would tell you. His look was one-of-a-kind. He was recognized immediately when he came on the screen, and filmmakers used that to their advantage.
He worked on various TV shows: The Dukes of Hazard, Hill Street Blues, MacGyver to name a few. But it was his large screen roles as Captain Spaulding in House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects and the upcoming end of the trilogy 3 From Hell that garnered enormous praise from fans and some critics as well. One critic actually labeled Haig as “troubling and charismatic” as the demented fried chicken-selling clown killer. A true chilling portrayal where he finally received the recognition he deserved at the age of 54, after 41 years of working in the business.
When people met Sid, the demeanor, and even look, was far more gentle and sweet than the sinister side he tended to portray. In fact, critic Roger Ebert was so appalled by Sid’s character in The Devil’s Rejects that he felt compelled to check the actor out on www.sidhaig.com only to find Sid looking quite presentable and even playing a judge in Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.
Sid at 80 years-old had been hospitalized early this month after a bad fall. Sadly, he left all of us last Saturday, September 21st with his wife by his side. Aside from the new Rob Zombie movie, Sid had another project completed, had one he was filming, and two in pre-production. The man loved his work and those who worked with him loved him as well. Sid will be missed, but his work and memory will live on with us. Below is the loving tribute mentioned and a link to the post with a beautiful picture.
@sidhaigsays:
On Saturday, September 21, 2019, my light, my heart, my true love, my King, the other half of my soul, Sidney, passed from this realm on to the next. He has returned to the Universe, a shining star in her heavens. He was my angel, my husband, my best friend and always will be. He adored his family, his friends and his fans. This came as a shock to all of us.
We, as a family, are asking that our privacy and time to mourn be respected.”
I offer my condolences to his family. He was a fine actor. My he rest in Peace.