John Dye

John Carroll Dye (January 31, 1963 – January 10, 2011)[1] was an American film and television actor known for his role as Andrew in the spiritual television drama series Touched by an Angel.

For the cricketer, see John Dye (cricketer).

John Dye
Born	John Carroll Dye (1963-01-31)January 31, 1963 Amory, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	January 10, 2011(2011-01-10) (aged 47) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Resting place	Haughton Memorial Park, Amory, Mississippi
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1984–2007

Early life

Dye was born in Amory, Mississippi, one of three sons of Jim and Lynn Dye, a furniture manufacturer and homemaker, respectively, who raised their sons in the Methodist faith. The family moved to Cleveland, Tennessee, where he attended Cleveland High School, and later to Tupelo, Mississippi. He was introduced to acting by playing the role of Friedrich, the eldest male von Trapp child in a school production of The Sound of Music at Cleveland High School. He graduated from Tupelo High School,[2] where he again played Friedrich von Trapp. Dye found himself bitten by the acting bug. After graduating, he enrolled at Mississippi State University in hopes of becoming a civil rights lawyer. After a year at Mississippi State University, he decided to become an actor, and was advised against it by his great-grandmother.[3] He transferred to Memphis State and majored in theater.[3]

Career

In Memphis, Dye discovered that a Judd Nelson film called Making the Grade (1984) was filming in the area. Dye landed his first film role as "Skip." In the 1985 music video for the ZZ Top song "Sleeping Bag", he appeared alongside fellow actors Tracey Walter and Heather Langenkamp. In 1986 he starred alongside actresses Virginia Madsen and Cynthia Gibb in the comedy film Modern Girls. In 1987 Dye got his first leading role, in the film Campus Man, as Todd Barrett. That same year, he re-teamed with Nelson in the television miniseries Billionaire Boys Club. In 1989, he starred alongside actors James Earl Jones and Eric Roberts in the martial-arts drama Best of the Best.

By the time the 1990s came around, Dye decided to make a move towards television. He was cast as Private Francis "Doc Hoc" Hockenbury in the last season of Tour of Duty. When the series finished, he moved on to short-lived series such as Jack's Place (1992) and Hotel Malibu (1994). In 1996, he appeared as Andrew the "Angel of Death" on Touched by an Angel with Roma Downey & Della Reese. Originally cast as a recurring character, by the third season he was made a regular cast member as his character quickly became popular. The show ran for nine seasons before ending in April 2003. In 2000, he starred in the television movie Once Upon a Christmas. In 2001, he appeared in the sequel Twice Upon a Christmas.

Death

Dye was found dead in his home in San Francisco, California on January 10, 2011. His family reported that he died due to heart problems.[4]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984	Making the Grade	Skip
1986	Modern Girls	Hunk
1987	Campus Man	Todd Barrett
1989	Mother, Mother	Jeff Cutler	Short
	Best of the Best	Virgil Keller
1991	The Perfect Weapon	Det. Adam Sanders
1994	Sioux City	Colin Adams
2005	Heart of the Beholder	D.A. Eric Manion
2007	Claudette	Man in Truck	Short
	Fist of the Warrior	I.A. Officer	Alternate title: Lesser of Three Evils, (final film role)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Billionaire Boys Club	Bob Holmby	NBC television film
1988	CBS Summer Playhouse	Chip	Episode: "Old Money"
	Murder, She Wrote	Andy Broom	Episode: "A Little Night Work"
1989–1990	Tour of Duty	Pvt. Francis 'Doc Hoc' Hockenberry	18 episodes
1990	Room for Romance	Craig Holloway	Episode: "Pilot"
1992–1993	Jack's Place	Greg Toback	18 episodes
1994	Murder, She Wrote	Dr. Ray Stinson	Episode: "A Nest of Vipers"
	Hotel Malibu	Jack Mayfield	6 episodes
1994–2003	Touched by an Angel	Andrew	188 episodes
1996	The Nerd	Rick Steadman	Episode: "Pilot"
1996–1998	Promised Land	Andrew	4 episodes
2000	Once Upon a Christmas	Bill Morgan	PAX-TV television film
2001	Twice Upon a Christmas

References

1. wtva.com Archived 2011-01-16 at Archive.today. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
2. John Dye Biography, NYTimes.com; accessed February 27, 2017.
3. Beifuss, John (2011-01-13). "'Touched by an Angel' star John Dye has died". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
4. "Community Remembers Touched by an Angel Actor" Archived 2011-01-17 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• John Dye on IMDb
• John Dye at Find a Grave