Nicholas Pryor, a prolific actor known for playing the father in Tom Cruise's breakout movie Risky Business, has died. He was 89.
With a career spanning decades, Pryor was known to generations of viewers, from his debut in Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1961 to his most well-known television role in the 1990s teen drama Beverly Hills: 90210.
The cause of death was cancer, his agent, Susan Tolar Walters, said, telling Variety, “He was one of the nicest people I have ever met and he will be missed.”
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Pryor was perhaps best known as the father in two Generation X touchstones: 1983's Risky Business and the cult classic Less Than Zero (1987), starring a young Robert Downey Jr.
Pryor was a nauseous airline passenger who utters the notable line, "I shouldn't have had that second cup of coffee" in the zany 1980 comedy Airplane!
RIP Nicholas Pryor, 89. He was the dad in "Risky Business" & "Less Than Zero" ... and he really shouldn't have had that 2nd cup of coffee in "Airplane!" pic.twitter.com/Zz6p9M3IzJ
— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) October 8, 2024
A regular on daytime TV, Pryor was one of the original cast members in the soap opera Another World, playing the role of Tom Baxter when the series launched in 1964.
He had his longest-running TV role as former spy Victor Collins in Port Charles, a spinoff of General Hospital. Pryor starred on Port Charles from 1997 to 2002.
From 1994 to 1997, Pryor appeared as A. Milton Arnold, the father of Kathleen Robertson's character in the teen drama Beverly Hills: 90210.
His list of guest appearances spans the decades, from shows like M*A*S*H, Little House on the Prairie, Knight Rider, and Who’s the Boss? to NYPD Blue and Hart of Dixie.
The news of Pryor's death was shared by his friend and fellow actor Jon Lindstrom, who shared a heartfelt tribute on social media.
“It is my solemn task to announce the passing of the great Nicholas Pryor. Nick was an Actor’s actor, and an exceptional friend,” he wrote. "He passed on October 7, 2024, surrounded by loving family."
"He was a mentor, a sounding board, a trusted confidant, and even a father-figure beyond, yes, playing my own father on #GH and #PortCharles. And he was one of the funniest people you could hope to spend time with over a bottle of good wine and a great meal.”
Pryor is survived by his wife Christine Belford, who played Samantha Sanders on Beverly Hills, 90210. He is survived by his wife, his daughter Stacey, and his grandchildren Gus and Avril.
