Tom Noonan, Masterful in ‘Manhunter,’ Passes at 74

Tom Noonan, the very distinct character actor, playwright, and filmmaker best known for his incredible turn in Michael Mann’s “Manhunter,” has passed away at age 74.

His legacy will be that of playing serial killer Francis Dollarhyde, or “Toothfairy in Mann’s “Manhunter,” a performance that still haunts to this day — the character is deeply disturbing, and yet Noonan brought an aching sadness and vulnerability to the role.

Noonan was also the writer and director of the 1994 film “What Happened Was…,” adapted from his own stage play, which premiered at Sundance, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. I sadly haven’t seen that film, but I’ve heard wonderful things about it. Maybe tonight’s the night for that one.

Over the decades, and looking through his filmography, Noonan was The Ripper in John McTiernan’s “The Last Action Hero” — those yellow eyes, that face. He was in Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York,” playing Sammy, the actor who obsessively mirrors Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Caden Cotard.

He was the best part of the middling “RoboCop 2,” and oddly touching as a suspect in a small but resonant role in Sean Penn’s otherwise bleak “The Pledge.” He reunited with Kaufman on “Anomalisa,” voicing every role in the film, save for the two romantic leads.

And how about his John Lee Roche in the X-Files episode “Paper Hearts”? A devastating performance as a jailed serial killer whose calm, almost apologetic demeanor destabilizes Mulder and reframes his entire origin story. It’s often cited as one of the series’ best guest turns.

We’ve lost many big names over the last 10 days — Duvall, Wiseman, O’Hara — and his name might get lost in the shuffle, but Noonan mattered in a different, quieter, more haunting way. He was never a marquee draw, never a fixture, but certainly the kind of talent who deserves a tribute. His work in “Manhunter” alone — the role that will define his legacy — likely set a template for the psychologically complex screen villains that would follow in the next 40 years of cinema.