Celebrity News January 10, 2026
T.K. Carter, 'The Thing' & 'Punky Brewster' Actor, Found Dead at 69
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T.K. Carter, the actor remembered for his work in such films as "The Thing," has died at 69.
TMZ reports Carter was found dead Friday at his Duarte, California, home in response to a call. No foul play is suspected, but a cause of death is not yet known.
Carter was born December 18, 1956, in NYC, but grew up in Southern California.
His first credited work on TV was on "Police Woman" in 1976.
He appeared on many series, among them "Good Times" (1977 & 1978), "The Waltons" (1977 & 1978), "Quincy, M.E." (1978), and "The Jeffersons" (1978), but quickly began landing film work.
After working in the TV movie "Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid" in 1977, he appeared in the features "Youngblood" (1978), "Corvette Summer" (1978), "The Hollywood Knights" (1980), "Seed of Innocence" (1980), "Seems Like Old Times" (1980), "Underground Aces" (1981), and "Southern Comfort" (1981).
His big break, and the role for which he became known, arrived when he was cast by John Carpenter to play Nauls in his sci-fi classic "The Thing" in 1982. The film about a group of researchers trapped in an arctic research station as a shape-shifting alien invades their ranks was a flop upon release, but has earned a cult following and has been critically reassessed over the years.
Other memorable movie work included "Doctor Detroit" (1983), the acclaimed "Runaway Train" (1985), "He's My Girl" (1987), "Amazon Women on the Moon" (1987), and "A Rage in Harlem" (1991).
He had several gigs as a series regular, including 24 episodes as Mike Fulton on "Punky Brewster" (1985-1986) and on "The Sinbad Show" (1993-1994), as well as on the short-lived shows "Just Our Luck" (1983), "Turbo Teen" (1984), "Jem" (1985-1987), and "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" (1988-1989).
He was also the voice of Monstar NAWT in the beloved 1996 film "Space Jam."
Carter worked steadily until 2023, appearing on everything from "The Nanny" (1998) to "Everybody Hates Chris" (2007), "How to Get Away with Murder" (2016), and his swan song, three episodes of "The Company You Keep" in 2023.
