Character actor Luke Askew dies at 80

A Georgia-born character actor with more than 40 years in the film and television business died last month in his Lake Oswego home.

Luke Askew, who has been featured in roles opposite a litany of big name Hollywood stars from Michael Caine to Matthew McConaughey, was surrounded by his family when he died of lung cancer March 29. He had turned 80 just three days before.

A neighbor, Nancy Hedin, said she had known Askew and his wife, Maggie, for about two years. Hedin said she lived in a condominium unit below the Askews and sometimes watched his films with the couple.

"He was a lovely and talented person," she said of Luke Askew. "They both mostly kept to themselves, but every once in a while I could hear his voice from my unit. You could just tell he was an actor."

Francis Luke Askew was born on March 26, 1932, in Macon, Ga. According to IMDB, the Internet Movie Database, his first big acting role was in the 1967 film "Hurry Sundown", which also featured Michael Caine, Jane Fonda and Faye Dunaway. That same year he played Boss Paul in "Cool Hand Luke", starring Paul Newman. He was also in the 1969 film Easy Rider with Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper.

Askew's last role was a reoccurring part in the HBO series "Big Love". He also had screen time in the 2005 golf drama "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and the 2001 thriller "Frailty".

The actor appeared in a number of television shows as well, including "Cold Case", "Everwood", "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Murder, She Wrote", "MacGyver", "Fantasy Island", "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "Bonanza".

"He didn't talk a lot about the movies and shows he was in," said Hedin. "But if you told him you saw one, you knew it made him feel good."

She said she once joked with his wife that her husband had a penchant for playing the role of the bad guy. She added that she's seen him quote some of the dialogue from those roles.

"But," added Hedin. You could tell there was a really good guy behind the lines."