David Huddleston, known for his appearance in "Santa Claus" and "The Big Lebowski," died in New Mexico at the age of 85. His widow, Sarah Koeppe, revealed that the actor has suffered from advance heart and kidney disease.
Huddleston, who has amassed about 150 television and film credits, passed away leaving behind a lot of memories in the film industry at the age of 85. He was known for his role as the blustery millionaire in "The Big Lebowski."
Despite Huddleston's character having a minimal air time, his scenes were considered the most memorable ones. His wife Koeppe recalled an instance when locals recognized him as the Big Lebowski when they travelled to Turkey. Even though they could not speak English, the locals still approached them and offered to make them dinner.
His co-star Jeff Bridges who played The Dude Lebowski released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter and called the late Huddleston a wonderful actor. He reminisced about the days when they filmed "The Big Lebowski" together and said that even though he only worked with the actor for a short time, he was honored working with him.
Aside from his titular role in "The Big Lebowski," Huddleston's acting career also extends to television, Broadway and commercial roles. He starred as Santa Claus in the 1985 "Santa Claus: The Movie" where Koeppe served as his casting agent. The latter shared via the Los Angeles Times that the former had a passion for entertainment and gave importance to people rather than things. She said that he would always prefer to entertain people whenever he was given the chance.
