Character actor Alfie Wise has passed away at the age of 82, it has been announced. The veteran performer died on 22 July from natural causes at the Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
His longtime fiancée, Stephanie Bliss, confirmed the news earlier today.
Wise was best known for his numerous collaborations with the late Burt Reynolds, appearing in ten films alongside the Hollywood star including Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run.
The Pennsylvania-born actor enjoyed a career spanning several decades before retiring from the industry in 2000. He later worked as an estate agent in Jupiter, Florida, where Reynolds had also resided.
The duo’s professional relationship began with the 1974 prison comedy The Longest Yard, where Wise portrayed a trooper. Their collaboration continued through numerous projects including The End, Hooper, Starting Over, Paternity, Stroker Ace, City Heat and Heat.
At 5ft 5in, Wise frequently became the target of Reynolds’ on-screen humour, particularly in the ABC crime series B.L. Stryker, where he appeared as marina owner Oliver Wardell across all twelve episodes between 1989 and 1990.
He also featured in an episode of Reynolds’ CBS sitcom Evening Shade in 1991.
In Smokey and the Bandit, Wise played a patrolman, whilst in The Cannonball Run he portrayed a tow-truck driver nicknamed “Batman”.
One of his more substantial roles came in Hooper, where he played the timid assistant to Robert Klein’s film director character.
Born Ralph Louis Wise in Altoona, Pennsylvania on 17 November 1942, the actor demonstrated leadership qualities from an early age.
He served as class president for three years at Altoona Area High School, graduating in 1960, before maintaining the same position throughout his four years at Penn State University until 1964.
Following university, Wise joined the US Navy, where he produced and presented programmes aboard his ship.
After military service, he relocated to Los Angeles and secured employment as an NBC page.
His television career began in 1972 with appearances in the ABC pilot Call Her Mom alongside Connie Stevens and an episode of The Sandy Duncan Show.
Beyond his Reynolds collaborations, Wise’s credits included films such as Midway, Swashbuckler, Hot Stuff, Rad and Catherine’s Grove, plus television appearances on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, The Fall Guy, The Jeffersons and S Club 7 in Miami.
Speaking to The New York Daily News after Reynolds’ passing in 2018, Wise reflected warmly on their friendship: “He loved his friends, and he really kept us very close.
“His films were like an ongoing block party. I think the audience caught on to that. You always knew you were going to have a great time with a Burt Reynolds movie.”
During the late 1970s, Wise told his hometown newspaper, the Altoona Mirror: “I’ve been very lucky to get to know and work with such a good friend. Burt is one of the true gentlemen in the business as well as a caring and warm man.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Harry Potter announces Riz Ahmed as Snape in new audio series amid backlash to Paapa Essiedu castingPrincess Andre, 18, admits she hasn’t ‘fully recovered’ from childhood: ‘Wish it had been happier’Ozzy Osbourne’s cause of death confirmed as combination of factors two weeks on from star’s death
The news of Wise’s death follows the recent announcement that Reynolds’ former spouse, actress Loni Anderson, passed away at 79 after an extended illness.
Wise’s partner Bliss confirmed the news on Tuesday to the Hollywood Reporter.