Matt Clark, a character actor with a wide range of film and TV credits—from classic Westerns and the Oscar-winning film In the Heat of the Night to Back to the Future III—has died.
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His daughter, producer Amiee Clark, told The Hollywood Reporter that the 89-year-old died on Sunday in Austin, Texas. She added that he had broken his back a few months ago.
Clark was born in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 25, 1936. After serving in the Army, he trained at New York’s HB Studio under Herbert Berghof and William Hickey. Clark joined the Living Theatre and worked Off-Broadway before transitioning to screen roles.
According to IMDb, his first two films were Black Like Me (1964) and the Best Picture Oscar-winning classic In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger.
Over his film career, Clark worked alongside several screen legends. In 1972, he appeared opposite Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson and Paul Newman in John Huston’s The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. The following year, Clark had roles in films starring James Coburn and Kris Kristofferson (Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid), Burt Reynolds (White Lightning), and Jeff Bridges (Hearts of the West).
RIP Matt Clark, Actor
— LegacyTributes (@InMemoriamX) March 16, 2026
In the Heat of the Night, The Cowboys, Jeremiah Johnson, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, Return to Oz,
Back to the Future Part III#InMemoriam #RIP pic.twitter.com/6Sv4UAFYA5
He also shared the screen with Clint Eastwood in Don Siegel’s The Beguiled (1971), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and Honkytonk Man (1982).
Matt Clark’s Prolific TV Career
He also became a familiar face on television, guest-starring on popular series such as Bonanza, The Waltons, Kung Fu, Little House on the Prairie, Dynasty, Magnum, P.I., Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Grace Under Fire, Touched by an Angel, Chicago Hope and Walker, Texas Ranger.
Clark’s only series-regular role was playing a goofy co-worker on the first season of the ABC sitcom The Jeff Foxworthy Show (1995-96). He did not return for the show’s second season, which moved to NBC.
Meanwhile, Clark’s many other film roles included Brubaker (1980), which reunited him with Redford, Some Kind of Hero (1982), Back to the Future Part III (1990) and 42 (2013).
Fantástico secundario de westerns clásicos como "El juez de la horca", "Las aventuras de Jeremiah Johnson", "Pat Garrett y Billy el Niño" o "El fuera de la ley"…
— Doctor Frusna (@doctorfrusna) March 16, 2026
…aunque muchos le recordarán por sus resucitamuertos de "Regreso al futuro parte III"
MATT CLARK (1936-2026) 🖤 pic.twitter.com/TCDhEpEIqn
His final screen credit was in 2014’s A Million Ways to Die in the West.
Clark married three times: to Erica Lann from 1958 to 1965, to Carol Trieste in 1968, and to Sharon Mays from 2000 until his death.
He is survived by his wife, Mays; his sons, Matthias, Jason, and Seth; his daughter, Amiee; nine grandchildren; and a great-grandson.