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Brad William Henke

Brad William Henke took an unusual route to the screen. Born in Columbus, Nebraska, on April 10, 1966, he attended the University of Arizona and played defensive lineman before entering professional football. The New York Giants selected him in the 1989 NFL draft but cut him during training camp. He later joined the Denver Broncos and played in Super Bowl XXIV against the San Francisco 49ers. Repeated injuries and six ankle surgeries eventually forced him to retire from football in 1994. That same year, Henke began acting in commercials, starting a second career that would stretch across film and television. His background gave him an immediately imposing screen presence, but his work was never limited to sheer physicality. He became a dependable character actor, appearing in films including World Trade Center, In the Valley of Elah, Choke, Sherrybaby, Must Love Dogs and Fury. Television offered an even broader showcase for Henke. His credits included Arliss, ER, Lost, Dexter, Justified, The Office, Criminal Minds, Grimm, Sneaky Pete, MacGyver and Big Sky. Across those series, he moved comfortably between drama, crime stories and comedy, often making a strong impression without needing to occupy the centre of the story. His breakout role arrived in the fourth season of Orange Is the New Black, where he played Desi Piscatella, a corrections officer at Litchfield Federal Penitentiary. The part brought Henke his widest recognition and placed his forceful presence at the heart of one of the series’ most tense stretches. He was part of the cast that received the 2016 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Henke died in 2022, leaving behind a screen career defined by substantial supporting work and a memorable late-career television role.