The ‘Walking Dead’ spinoff shared a tribute to Rif Hutton in the season 3 premiere
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NEED TO KNOW
- The Walking Dead: Dead City paid tribute to late actor Rif Hutton
- The longtime voice actor for the franchise died in April
- During the season 3 premiere on Sunday, July 26, Dead City shared a message dedicated to Hutton
The Walking Dead is remembering one of its longtime actors.
Rif Hutton, who has appeared in the Walking Dead universe since 2010, was recognized during the season 3 premiere of The Walking Dead: Dead City on Sunday, July 26, three months after the actor died at age 73.
At the end of the premiere episode, Dead City wrapped with an onscreen message that read: “In Loving Memory of Rif Hutton.”
Hutton died April 18 at his home in Pasadena, Calif., his wife Bridget Hoffman told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. He was previously diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor.
Credit: Robin Marshall/Shutterstock
Hutton voiced walkers in the franchise’s series and spinoffs, including Fear the Walking Dead, Tales of the Walking Dead, Dead City, World Beyond, Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live, with franchise chief content officer Scott M. Gimple telling Entertainment Weekly that he was the only actor to have appeared in every series.
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“And his talent made those shows more real, more textured, and scarier,” Gimple said.
“Rif is yet another example of how lucky TWD’s been to have had the chance to work with remarkably committed and generous artists,” he added. “Rif Hutton helped bring the dead to life and his work will live on forever.”
Hutton, who born in San Antonio in 1952, was best known for his role as Dr. Ron Welch in the Neil Patrick Harris-led Doogie Howser, M.D., from 1989 to 1993.
He also appeared as Lt. Cmdr. Alan Mattoni on JAG from 1997 to 2001, and he played Lenny Caulfield in General Hospital for 32 episodes from 2021 to 2022. His other projects included The Jeffersons, Night Court, Married… with Children, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Family Matters and Shameless.
Beyond the Walking Dead universe, Hutton lent his voice to Shark Tale, Rio, Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Angry Birds Movie 2.
In April, actor Steve Apostolina remembered Hutton in a Facebook post, calling him a “remarkable human being” who “left this earthly plane.” He also remembered him for his action amid the COVID pandemic and the 2023 actors’ strike.
“To say that Rif Hutton was one of a kind is a gross understatement. There will never be another like him,” Apostolina wrote, adding that Hutton was “incredibly bright and the hardest working person I’ve ever known.”
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