Beau Starr, the prolific character actor whose presence in Goodfellas and the Halloween franchise made him a familiar face across decades of film and television, has died at the age of 81.

Born William Starr, the actor died peacefully of natural causes at his home in Vancouver on 24 April, his younger brother Mike Starr confirmed to TMZ on Sunday. (03.05.26)

Mike, 75, also an actor, said his elder brother had been "very unique and special" and credited him with helping to raise him.

Before turning to acting, Beau had pursued a career in American football under the name Bill Starr, spending three seasons on the taxi squad of the New York Jets before later playing in the Canadian Football League.

It was not until his mid-30s that Beau began acting, making his screen debut in 1980 on the Canadian sketch show Bizarre.

In Goodfellas - directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci - Beau portrayed the father of mob associate Henry Hill.

In one of the film's early scenes, his character beats his son with a belt after discovering his truancy.

Ray narrates the scene in the movie by saying about how his character was secretly working with the mob at a taxi rank while in his teens: "He knew what went on at that cab stand, and every once in awhile I'd have to take a beating. But I didn't care. The way I saw it, everyone takes a beating sometimes."

Beau became most closely associated with his role as Sheriff Ben Meeker in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.

The character, a determined lawman confronting the masked killer Michael Myers, endures personal tragedy with the death of his daughter.

Speaking in a behind-the-scenes interview during production, Beau described Meeker as "a John Wayne type of guy".

His early film career included a role in Hanky Panky, directed by Sidney Poitier and starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner. Across the 1990s, Beau continued to appear in films such as Joshua Tree alongside George Segal and Devil in a Blue Dress with Denzel Washington.

Beau also built an extensive television career, appearing in shows including Knight Rider, The A-Team, MacGyver and Moonlighting.

His credits extended through the 1990s with roles in Murder, She Wrote and NYPD Blue, and he held a main role in the Canadian crime comedy Due South.

His final credited appearance came in 2013 on Psych, starring James Roday Rodriguez and Dulé Hill.