Actor and former NFL player Brad William Henke of Orange Is the New Black fame has died. Per TMZ, Henke reportedly died in his sleep on Wednesday, but additional details are not yet clear and a cause of death has yet to be revealed. He was just 56 years old.
“Brad was an incredibly kind man of joyous energy,” Henke’s manager, Matt DelPiano, said of the late actor. “A very talented actor, he loved being a part of this community….and we loved him back. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.”
Born in Nebraska, Henke first pursued pro football before getting into show business. He played for the Denver Broncos which includes playing in Super Bowl XXIV with the team losing to the San Francisco 49ers. Henke wound up retiring from pro football in 1994 due to ankle injuries, directly leading to a new career as an actor.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
One of Henke’s most well-known roles would be as prison guard Desi Piscatella in Orange Is the New Black, a show he joined in its fourth season. More recently, he also popped up in the Paramount+ miniseries adaptation of The Stand in a memorable role. Throughout the years, he has had many roles in other popular shows, with other titles including ER, CSI, Dexter, Lost, Criminal Minds, Grimm, Bones, Hawaii Five-0, Sneaky Pete, and MacGyver. Earlier this year, Henke appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Henke has also appeared in many films after making his big screen debut in Ellen DeGeneres’ 1996 comedy Mr. Wrong. Some of his many other roles include parts in films like Space Jam, Love Object, Gone in 60 Seconds, World Trade Center, Hollywoodland, The Space Between, Fury, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, Bright, Inherit the Viper, and Arkansas. He also had a role in this year’s Block Party and will posthumously appear in the thriller The Ray.
Brad William Henke Switched to Acting After NFL Retirement
Paramount+
Brad William Henke found his second calling with acting, and it happened pretty much by accident. In an interview with Horror Geek Life, Henke explained how he got started with acting by appearing as an extra in a commercial, and from there, the ball got rolling.
“Well first I tried to be a football coach and honestly, it was a tough couple of years,” he explained. “I didn’t know what to do with my life. Luckily, I needed money [laughs] so I jumped at being an extra football player in a commercial; they needed football extras in the back of the commercial. After that, someone invited me to an acting class, saw what they were doing there, started going to class, and I just loved it.”
On adapting to the new endeavor, he added, “Well, I’ve been doing it for 25 years so I hope I know what I’m doing by now. Football helped me learn how to be disciplined, how to take criticism, to always try your best, so you can definitely use some of the same things and that was a big help for me when I started acting.”
Henke has been married twice and is survived by his wife, Sonja Henke. Survivors also include a stepson, stepdaughter, and grandchild. Our thoughts are with the family and friends at this painful time. Rest in peace, Brad William Henke.
