Celebrity News November 20, 2021
Art LaFleur, 'The Sandlot' and 'The Santa Clause' Star, Dies at 78
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Art LaFleur, a veteran character actor fondly remembered for performances in family films "The Sandlot" and "The Santa Clause 2 & 3," has died following a battle with atypical Parkinson's disease.
He was 78.
Shelley LaFleur, the actor's wife of 43 years, broke the news on Facebook. Posting a sweet photo of herself and her husband hugging, she wrote, "This guy… After a 10 year battle with A-typical Parkinson’s, Art LaFleur, the love of my life passed away."
"He brought laughter to so many people," she went on. "He was a generous and selfless man which carried over to his acting but more importantly it was who he was for his family and friends. Every location or set we visited him on, the cast and crew would introduce themselves and tell Molly, Joe, and me how Art spoke of us with such pride and love. He was never happier than the day this picture was taken."
Born September 9, 1943, in Gary, Indiana, LaFleur's first of more than 160 film and TV credits came with the TV movie "Rescue from Gilligan's Island" in 1978.
He was best remembered as Babe Ruth in the 1993 feature "The Sandlot," and as the Tooth Fairy in "The Santa Clause 2" (2002) and "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" (2006).
Other films included "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), "Cannery Row" (1982), "I Ought to Be in Pictures" (1982), "WarGames" (1983), "Cobra" (1986), "The Blob" (1988), and "A Cinderella Story" (2004).
He also appeared on such TV series as "Charlie's Angels" (1979), "Lou Grant" (1979), "M*A*S*H" (1980), "Soap" (1980), "The Incredible Hulk" (1981), "Webster" (1983), "The A-Team" (1984), "Hill Street Blues" (1986), "Home Improvement" (1991), "Baywatch" (1997), "Boy Meets World" (1999), "The Practice" (2001-2002), "The Mentalist" (2009), and "Key and Peele" (2015).
