Character actor G.D. Spradlin dies in CA at 90

The Associated Press, Monday, July 25, 2011, 8:25pm (PDT)

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- G.D. Spradlin, a former lawyer and oil producer who found a second act as a prolific character actor, has died. He was 90.

Spradlin's grandson told the Los Angeles Times Monday that his uncle died of natural causes at his Central California ranch on Sunday.

An Oklahoma native, Spradlin turned to acting at 40 after striking it rich in the oil industry.

In his more than 30 years in Hollywood, Spradlin played the role of authority figures such as an Army general in "Apocalypse Now" and a corrupt senator in "The Godfather: Part II."

His other film credits include "The War of the Roses" and "Ed Wood." He retired after playing Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee in the 1999 comedy "Dick."

He's survived by his second wife and two daughters.