Actor Brad William Henke (Orange is the New Black, Lost, Dexter) dies at age 56

On November 29, 2022, actor Brad William Henke passed away in his sleep. He was only 56 years old.

His family announced the death of the actor several days later. It appeared in media such as 'Deadline.' The cause of his death was not revealed.

In May 2021, the actor shared a video from a hospital bed. He said that he was going to live life like never before. The actor didn't reveal what had happened to him, however, nor did he explain what caused him to decide to live his life differently.

Photo: @bradwilliamhenke / Instagram

Brad William Henke was one of those essential secondaries in important dramas of recent years. His filmography is endless, as he had occasional characters in well-known series such as 'Crossing Jordan', 'Grimm', 'Hawaii 5.0' or 'Castle'.

Over the course of his 25-year-long career, he also had some more regular roles in famous series.

This is the case of 'Lost,' where he gave life to the character Bram for six episodes. He also played Tony Tucci in four episodes of 'Dexter'. Then, in the series 'Justified', Brad William Henke was the man behind one of the major bad guys, Coover Bennett, for seven episodes.

One of his most prominent and long-lasting roles was that of Desi Piscatella in 'Orange Is The New Black'. He played the guard in the women's prison for 26 episodes, between 2016 and 2018.

Photo: Netflix

More recently, in 2020-2021, Brad William Henke participated in 'The Stand', an adaptation of 'Apocalypse' by Stephen King. He worked on this limited series with Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgård, and Amber Heard, among others.

Few people may have known it, but you could have guessed it from his build: Brad William Henke used to be a player in the NFL (National Football League).

He had gone from the University of Arizona to the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos, with whom he came to play Super Bowl XXIV in 1990. (They lost against the San Francisco 49ers by 55 to 10.)

However, before he turned 30, the acting world called him and he decided to change his profession.

Between 1996 and 2000, he played back-to-back secondary roles in series such as 'ER', 'Chicago Hope' or 'Nash Bridges', while also appearing in films such as 'Space Jam.'

It was at the turn of the century when a great opportunity would come. In the series 'Nikki,' where his Thor was a recurring character. Unfortunately, the show only lasted one season.

In 2001, he got his first leading role in a series with 'Going to California.' The Showtime series lasted for 20 episodes.

Henke and Sam Trammel played two friends traveling by car with no direction and no plans. They adapted to whatever arose. The show lasted for one season.

Brad William Henke kept playing many roles after, sometimes even appearing in eight different projects in one year. He was a prolific actor who will be missed in Hollywood.