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Art LaFleur

Art LaFleur built a screen career around a sturdy, no-nonsense presence that could play as imposing, dependable or quietly funny. Born in Gary, Indiana, on September 9, 1943, he worked across film and television, becoming a familiar face through roles as soldiers, coaches, security officers and other men accustomed to taking charge. Sports ran through both his life and his filmography. LaFleur played football as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky in 1962 under coach Charlie Bradshaw, and he later worked as a sportscaster for ESPN and CBS. On screen, he portrayed Babe Ruth in the 1993 family film The Sandlot and 1919 Black Sox player Chick Gandil in Field of Dreams. He also played a New York Yankees coach in Mr. Baseball and appeared as Banes in The Replacements. Those parts made good use of his physical presence and his natural fit within baseball and football stories. LaFleur was equally at home in broad comedy, science fiction and military roles. He played soldier Mittens in Zone Troopers, McNulty in Trancers and Trancers II, First Sergeant Williams in In the Army Now and pilot Jack Neely in Air America. His family-film work included the obsessive Red Sweeney in Man of the House, Sergeant Rutledge in Beethoven’s 4th and the Tooth Fairy in The Santa Clause 2 and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. He also appeared as the White House security chief in First Kid and as a deputy in Hostage. Television gave LaFleur plenty of room to move between tones. His guest appearances included M*A*S*H, Angel, JAG, House M.D. and Home Improvement. He was also involved in the ABC sitcom pilot that developed from Another Ballgame into Webster, ultimately appearing as a guest star in the pilot rather than joining the regular cast. LaFleur died from atypical Parkinson’s disease on November 17, 2021, at age 78. His body of work remains that of a versatile character actor: recognizable, grounded and always ready to give a scene some muscle.