Sadly, Dick Van Patten died on June 23, 2015, at 86 years old, due to complications from type 2 diabetes.īut Brooks wasn't the only famous celeb that Dom Deluise regularly collaborated with. He also famously donated the money he made from the sales of his autobiography to an organization that trains guide dogs. Van Patten was also, famously, a big animal lover. He co-founded the pet food brand 'Natural Balance' in 1989, a brand that markets itself as essentially health food for pets. Philip Wentworth in 'High Anxiety.' Van Patten also had a long career in Hollywood outside the world of comedy, appearing in numerous iconic films like 'Westworld,' 'Soylent Green,' and 'Charly,' the film adaptation of the short story 'Flowers for Algernon.' A true workhorse of an actor, Dick Van Patten continued to receive steady acting gigs right up until his last few years of life, appearing in comedy TV shows such as 'Arrested Development,' 'That '70s Show,' and 'The Sarah Silverman Program.' He also played the abbot in 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights,' and he was Dr. Van Patten's appearance in 'Spaceballs' wasn't his only collaboration with Mel Brooks.

That's why today, we're running down all the 'Spaceballs' cast members who are sadly no longer with us and paying a brief tribute to each of them. There are a few notable stars in the cast whose deaths you definitely would've heard about, but most of the others, their passing probably wasn't a huge news story. That's because much of the 'Spaceballs' cast is made up of lesser-known characters actors who aren't especially famous nowadays. And there's a fair chance that with some of these actors, you didn't hear much about it when they passed away. For a film from the 1980s, these sets and costumes are, at times, confusingly good-looking.īut sadly, since this film came out in 1987 - well over 30 years ago at this point - a fairly large portion of the cast is no longer with us. Not only does a decent chunk of the humor hold up to modern sensibilities, but so do the visuals, most likely because the company that did the post-production effects for the film - Industrial Light and Magic - is the same group of folks who worked on the actual 'Star Wars' movies. Seriously, do yourself a favor and check this thing out on Blu-Ray.

Though it's sometimes disregarded by critics as one of Mel Brooks' lesser films, as far as we're concerned, it doesn't get much funnier than 'Spaceballs.' A loving spoof of the 'Star Wars' film series, this delightfully silly romp is endlessly rewatchable.

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