The Blob (1988) Actors You Might Not Know Passed Away

Despite featuring a caustic man-eating mass from outer space, "The Blob" is filled with human monsters capable of making skin crawl as well. Enter: Reverend Meeker, the town's religious presence and a local weirdo on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

Despite his moral bankruptcy and weak constitution, Meeker manages to survive the Blob's rampage and even starts his own doomsday cult, worshipping salvaged pieces of the ravenous creature. He's the kind of religious wacko who's itching for judgment day. And the arrival of his new, blobby god gives him the perfect opportunity to let loose and proselytize about the impending apocalypse.

Rev. Meeker is played by Del Close, one of the primary improv pioneers and a literal (and spiritual) mentor for the vast majority of 20th century American comics. A marvelous documentary directed by Heather Ross, "For Madmen Only," was released in 2020 and paints a vibrant picture of Close's impact with interviews from students and collaborators, including Patton Oswalt, Adam McKay, and Bob Odenkirk. Anyone with a passing interest in the history of comedy would be wise to seek it out.

In addition to his profound influence on the shape of modern comedy, Close made various appearances on-screen and on-stage over the course of his career, including as an English teacher in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and a corrupt town councilman in "The Untouchables."

As his New York Times obituary poetically summarizes, Close was a "mercurial and hard-living" man who "bequeathed his skull to the Goodman Theater" on his deathbed "so he could play Yorick in their next production of "Hamlet." Close passed away at the age of 64 in March 1999 due to emphysema.