Staci Keanan, Dick Butkus.Photo:getty; everett
getty; everett
Dick Butkus' formerMy Two Dadscostar Staci Keanan is remembering the late Chicago Bears Hall of Famer, who died Thursday. He was 80.
“I’m so sorry to hear that Dick has passed away. He was such a gentle, sweet, quiet man,” Keanan told PEOPLE exclusively.
“He didn’t say much, but when he did, he was surprisingly funny,” she said while recalling their time on the set of the 1980s NBC sitcom.
Dick Butkus.AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
“He wore Birkenstocks back when we worked together — they weren’t trendy then — it seemed to be because he had pain from his football days, and when he walked, he seemed to be in chronic pain. But he never complained about it.”
Keanan continued, explaining how even off of the field, Butkus was a shining star.
“My Two Dadsdid an episode once that included a highlight reel from what was supposed to be Dick’s character’s football career,” she said before marveling at his ability to excel at the game," Keanan said. “The reel consisted of footage from Dick’s own real-life NFL career. When I saw it, I couldn’t believe all those massive tackles and sacks came from the gentle giant that I knew."
My Two Dadsran from September 1987 to April 1990.
Dick Butkus, Greg Evigan, Florence Stanley, Staci Keanan, Giovanni Ribisi, Paul Reiser, 1987-89,.Everett Collection
Everett Collection
The sitcom followed an unconventional family, consisting of two men Michael Taylor (Paul Reiser) and Joey Harris (Greg Evigan) who both loved the same woman and battled for her affection for over a decade.
Keanan’s character, Nicole Bradford, entered when the woman Joey and Michael longed for died, leaving behind a daughter who could have possibly been the child to either of them. Rather than taking a paternity test, the trio lived under one roof as a family.
Butkus played a recurring role on the sitcom as diner owner Ed Klawicki, who was also a former football player.
Dick Butkus rehearses his role of Klawicki.getty/nbc
getty/nbc
In an October 2022 interview withChicago’s WGN 9, he opened up about how he got into acting in the first place.
“When I finished with my knee at 30 years old, I had to find out what was second best in my life, and that’s, that’s no fun,” Butkus explained. “So, all these people that are working and probably don’t really like doing what they got to do, but out of necessity they have to do that. I’m blessed, I feel very lucky.”
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The legendary linebacker died at his home in Malibu, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE on Thursday.
source: people.com
