Actor T.K. Carter dies at 69

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Veteran comedian, actor and Southern California native T.K. Carter has died. He was 69.

I was really shocked to hear the news. Apparently, deputies from the LA County Sheriff’s Department were called to the actor’s home in Duarte Friday night because someone reported a man wasn’t responding. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene. They don’t think anything suspicious happened, but they haven’t said what caused his death yet.

Thomas Kent Carter, who was born in New York City, grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, as noted by IMDb.

He started his acting career with minor parts in popular 1970s sitcoms like “Good Times,” “The Waltons,” and “The Jeffersons.” His big break came in 1982 when he played the chef Nauls in the horror film “The Thing.”

Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he appeared in many movies and TV shows, including the roles of Mike Fulton on “Punky Brewster” and Clarence Hull on “The Sinbad Show.”

In later decades of his career, he took on consulting roles in addition to on-screen appearances.

He coached Chris Tucker on dialects for the 1998 film “Rush Hour,” and also worked with Michael Jordan on the set of “Space Jam” (1996), helping him learn his lines and become more at ease while filming.

In 2020, director Joe Pytka told The Times he asked T.K. to coach Michael on his lines because T.K. was a very talented actor.

Carter was famous for his comedy, playfully describing himself online as someone destined to perform and bring joy to others. However, he wasn’t limited to funny roles and also appeared in more dramatic projects.

He gained recognition in the 2000 HBO miniseries “The Corner,” where he portrayed Gary McCullough, a father in West Baltimore battling addiction.

You know, watching that film, I really connected with Gary’s story. It hit close to home, actually. I’ve personally struggled with addiction – cocaine, specifically – and I lost my dad to a drug-related tragedy. I’ve also seen so many friends fall victim to it. I was lucky enough to get through it and rebuild my life, but I never forgot what it’s like. When I was preparing to play Gary, I carried him with me constantly. He was always on my mind, even in my sleep – I really lived and breathed his experience.

As news of the actor’s passing spread, friends and colleagues took to social media with tributes.

Entrepreneur Shavar Ross shared on X that he admired actor T.K. as a child, explaining that seeing a successful Black actor in a leading film role was incredibly meaningful to him. Ross believed T.K. was destined for great things and expressed his deep sympathy to T.K.’s family, friends, and fans, adding that his legacy will live on.

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2026-01-11 02:31