Biography
Rip Torn was an American actor whose career in film, television and theatre spanned more than six decades. Born Elmore Rual Torn Jr. in Temple, Texas, he studied drama at the University of Texas and trained at the Actors Studio in New York.
He was known for his role as Zed in the Men in Black films (1997 and 2002), Patches O'Houlihan in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) and the voice of Zeus in Hercules (1997). On television he played Artie the producer in The Larry Sanders Show (1992–1998), for which he received six Emmy nominations and won in 1996. Torn received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Cross Creek (1983).
