Men Of Character Character Actors
Leon Rippy
The Patriot/ John Billings
Saving Grace (TV)/ Earl
Eight Legged Freaks/ Wade
Stargate/ General West
Leon Rippy is an American character actor.
He was born at Rock Hill, SC in 1949.
Mr. Rippy began his acting career with appearances in regional theater productions, originally developing a love for theater while he was in high school.
Rippy's first theatrical experience was as a gingerbread boy in Hansel and Gretel. His first paying theatrical job was for $25 a week at N C's Lost Colony.
He also founded and operated two theater companies and at one time was an accomplished ballet dancer.
His film debut came in 1983 in the film Hit The Road Running and his television debut came in that same year in the TV Miniseries Chiefs.
Some of the film roles of Leon Rippy were:
Hit The Road Running (1983) as Doogan
Tales Of The Third Dimension (1984) as Freddie in The Guardians Segment
Firestarter (1984) as Blinded Agent
Hyperspace (1984) as Roy
Rockin' Road Trip (1985) as Earl Reese
Marie (1985) as Gary Gerbitz
The Color Purple (1985) as Store Clerk
North & South: Book II (1986-TV Miniseries) as Sanders
Raw Deal (1986) as Man In Tux
Maximum Overdrive (1986) as Brad
No Mercy (1986) as Man #2
King Kong Lives (1986) as Hunter
The Bedroom Window (1987) as Seedy Bartender
Born To Race (1988) as Joel
The Tracker (1988-TV) as Chub Dumont
Illegally Yours (1988) as Prosecutor
Track 29 (1988) as Trucker
Traxx (1988) as Killer
Loose Cannons (1990) as Weskit
Moon 44 (1990) as Master Sgt. Sykes
The Young Guns II (1990) as Bob Ollinger
The Hot Spot (1990) as Deputy Tate
Hard Time Romance (1991) as Hugh Dean Simpson
Eye Of The Storm (1991) as Sheriff
Kuffs (1992) as Kane
Universal Soldier (1992) as Woodward
Beyond The Law (1993) as Virgil
Perry Mason: The Case Of The Wicked Wives (1993-TV) as J. D.
Stargate (1994) as General W. O. West
The Arrival (1996) as DOD #1
Still Movin' (1997) as Mr. Jennings
Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (1997) as Detective Boone
The Thirteenth Floor (1999) as Jane's Lawyer
The Patriot (2000) as John Billings
Eight Legged Freaks (2002) as Wade
The Life Of David Gale (2003) as Braxton Belyeu
The Alamo (2004) as Sgt. William Ward
Gridiron Gang (2006) as Paul Higa
The Lone Ranger (2013) as Collins
Mr.. Rippy appeared as a regular in several TV series:
Deadwood (2004 - 2006) as Tom Nuttall
Saving Grace (2007 - 2010) as Earl
Leverage (2011 - 2013) as Jack Lattimer/ Mysterious Man
Alcatraz (2012) as Dr. Milton Beauregard
Rippy appeared on other television programs such as Werewolf, Hunter, Star Trek The Next Generation, Hardball, Quantum Leap, Diagnosis Murder, Gun, The Visitor, CIS: The New Professionals, The Fugitive (2000), Walker Texas Ranger, Six Feet Under, Under The Dome and Rectify.
Some of Mr. Rippy's early employment adventures before becoming an actor full time were traveling with a circus, cattle insemination, foreman of a cattle ranch and peddler of handmade hippie products.
His favorite horse is a Tennessee Walker and is a lover of dogs having owned as many as twelve at one time.
He wife's name is Carol and they have two children named Stacy and Amos. They live in Van Nuys, CA. However, the couple also own their self built home among the South Carolina tall oaks and enjoys visiting it when time is available.
I have always enjoyed Mr. Rippy's performances, especially in the films Stargate, Eight Legged Freaks, The Patriot, Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, The Alamo and his TV series Amazing Grace. He also played some tough villains in about three episodes in Walker, Texas Ranger TV series.
Louie The Movie Buff