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'Will & Grace' Star Leslie Jordan Dead at 67

'Will & Grace' Star Leslie Jordan Dead at 67
    Asharq A-Awsat
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'Will & Grace' Star Leslie Jordan Dead at 67

'Will & Grace' Star Leslie Jordan Dead at 67

Leslie Jordan, an award-winning American actor and writer best known for his role in the sitcom "Will & Grace," died Monday at age 67, one of his agents said.

Jordan was involved in a single-car road accident as he drove in Hollywood, Don LeClair said, without specifying the exact cause of death. News reports said he may have suffered a medical emergency at the wheel.

"The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan," LeClair said in a statement sent to AFP.

Jordan enjoyed a successful and career over the course of three decades as he appeared in TV shows that included "American Horror Story," "Murphy Brown" and "Ugly Betty."

In "Will & Grace" he played the pugnacious Beverley Leslie, a frenemy of the character Karen Walker, and in 2006 he won an Emmy Award for outstanding guest actor in the comedy series. 

Jordan was a versatile artist with movie credits including "The Help," and a Gospel record released last year.

In 2020 Jordan became wildly popular on Instagram by posting videos of how he tried to entertain himself during the coronavirus pandemic, such as doing silly exercises or impressions of famous singers. His follower count shot up from 100,000 to 5.8 million.

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Entertainment

‘The Brutalist’ Cast Beams over Breadth of Film’s Story

This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody in a scene from "The Brutalist." (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP)
This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody in a scene from "The Brutalist." (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP)
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‘The Brutalist’ Cast Beams over Breadth of Film’s Story

This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody in a scene from "The Brutalist." (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP)
This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody in a scene from "The Brutalist." (Lol Crawley/A24 via AP)

The cast of the film “The Brutalist” is giving their director Brady Corbet all the credit when it comes to the strong acclaim for the movie.

“He's a special filmmaker because he focuses on psychology and behavior and those things that we as actors are genuinely interested in,” said Guy Pearce, who plays wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren.

“So, it was a real treat from start to finish,” he added.

The movie is an epic tale of a Hungarian immigrant who flees the horrors of World War Two to rebuild his life in the United States, and stars Oscar-winner Adrien Brody in the leading role of the architect Laszlo Toth.

"The Brutalist", which has a three-hour and 35-minute runtime and comes with a 15-minute intermission, was co-written by Corbet's wife, Mona Fastvold.

It was successful at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this year, with Corbet winning the best director prize.

The film, distributed by A24, arrives in movie theaters on Dec. 20 in the United States.

Brody, who had read the script nearly six years ago, expressed his deep connection to the story and his character through both his Hungarian-born mother and grandfather.

“Her [his mother’s] journey as an artist, her pursuits as an artist are deeply profound and linked to this,” he said.

For Brody, the role connected him with his mother’s yearning to leave something of great meaning behind, which was enhanced when contrasted with an understanding of hardship.

He also thought of his own grandfather's struggles with language and assimilation as a foreigner without work opportunities or respect.

“That (respect) was lost and taken from him,” Brody added.

His grandfather, fleeing from home due to the war, largely shaped the actor’s perspective of his role.

For “The Theory of Everything” actress Felicity Jones, who portrays Toth’s wife in the film, Erzsebet Toth, some of the most compelling aspects of the film are its characters and unique storytelling style.

“These characters, particularly Laszlo and Erzsebet, you know, they're doing everything they can to preserve their integrity and their self-worth,” she said.

Brody was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for best performance for a male actor in a motion picture drama and is receiving Oscar buzz for his role.

For “The Pianist” actor, having a strong team was key to the power of the film.

“In order to do work on this level, you need all of those to conspire with you and not against you,” Brody said.