James Rebhorn dies; veteran character actor recently on ‘Homeland’

Veteran character actor James Rebhorn, known for his roles in “Homeland,” “White Collar” and dozens of TV shows and films over a five-decade career, has died of melanoma, his wife, Rebecca Linn, said Sunday. Rebhorn died Friday at his home in South Orange, N.J., at the age of 65.

Able to perform in comedies or dramas, as well as on stage, TV or film, the Philadelphia native racked up an impressive list of credits, including playing the father of Claire Danes’ character on “Homeland.”

His film roles included such titles as “Silkwood,” “Shadows and Fog,” “Basic Instinct,” “My Cousin Vinny,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Independence Day,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Game,” “Far From Heaven” and “Cold Mountain.” Recent film appearances included “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” “Sleepwalk With Me,” “Real Steel” and “The Box.”

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On television, Rebhorn appeared on shows including “Enlightened,” “The Good Wife,” “30 Rock,” “Wiseguy,” “The Equalizer,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “Kate & Allie” and “Guiding Light.” He appeared in the series finale of “Seinfeld.”

Rebhorn largely epitomized the “that guy” brand of character actor, the kind whom audiences recognize by face and voice, if perhaps not by name. On Twitter, actor Tom Arnold said, “you didn’t know him but trust me, you knew him.” Comedian Patton Oswalt posted “On behalf of all film buffs, we took for granted you’d always be there & be great, ‘cause you always were.”

Times staff writer Steve Chawkins contributed to this report.

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