Western Actor Matt Clark Dead at 89

“A Million Ways to Die in the West” actor Matt Clark has died at the age of 89.

Clark’s cause of death has not revealed, but his family told TMZ that he died from complications after undergoing back surgery.

His family told the outlet, “He died the way he lived, on his terms.”

Clark’s acting credits span decades, with his last film being “A Million Ways to Die” in 2014.

Clark began his acting career in the ‘60s.

He would eventually nab roles in westerns like Paul Newman’s “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean,” Clint Eastwood’s “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” and John Wayne’s “The Cowboys.”

In 1991, Clark said in an interview, “I just loved ‘em! Just like you always wanted to do as a little kid, you put on chaps and boots and tie on spurs that jingle when you walk.”

Matt also starred with Robert Redford in two films: “Jeremiah Johnson” and “Brubaker."

In 1990, Clark appeared in "Back to the Future Part III.”

Seven years later, Matt was in Gary Rosen’s “Hacks.”

In a statement to THR, Gary said, "He was the kind of actor that defined Hollywood filmmaking in its greatest era, the utterly unique character player who made every scene he appeared in memorable, often stealing them from stars like Rod Steiger, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. His roles in In the Heat of the Night, Jeremiah Johnson, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Cowboys, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, among many others, helped to elevate those films to classic status. He leaves the stage, but his performances will be remembered forever.”

One of his last projects was the 2013 film “42.”

Director Brian Helgeland said, "By the time I worked with Matt Clark on the film 42, he had already been in more than 120 different productions in a career that stretched back to the early 1960s. You’d think there would be a little bit of ‘been there, done that’ in him.”

"But what did I get? I got an artist who not only keenly understood his role but understood the scene he was in and where it fell in the grand scheme of the film,” Brian went on. "I got a talented performer who was more than eager to improvise and stay perfectly in character until the cameras stopped rolling. In short, I got a genuine actor. And I was lucky to have him.”