Lafayette attendee and esteemed actor Harry Dean Stanton passed away September 15th of this year at the age of 91. Born July 14th, 1926 in West Irving, KY, Stanton attended Lafayette High School before leaving in 1944 to serve in the U.S. Navy during WW2 until 1946. After three years at the University of Kentucky, Stanton went on study at the Pasadena Playhouse in California, eventually playing over 200 roles throughout his acting career.

Most notable for playing supporting characters, Stanton broke out of his type cast mold once he scored the leading role of Travis Henderson in the movie Paris, Texas in 1984. Other roles Lafayette students may recognize him from are Escape from New York as Brain,  Pretty in Pink as Jack, The Green Mile as Toot-Toot, The Avengers, as a security guard, and Twin Peaks as Carl Rodd. The last role he played was in Lucky, as the lead character, named Lucky. The movie is set to release September 29th.

The 50th anniversary of Lafayette saw Stanton as one of the first 20 members inducted into the Lafayette Hall of Fame. He is also honored with a plaque commemorating his military service alongside other classmates who left high school to serve in WW2. A city wide fest has been held since February of 2011 in various venues in Lexington commemorating his life as an actor and singer. The next fest is set for September 28th through the 30th.

For additional information about the Harry Dean Stanton Fest, go to harrydeanstantonfest.org.