T.K. Carter death: The Thing actor dies aged 69 after 911 call

Thomas Kent “T.K.” Carter, the actor best known for his role as Nauls in 1982’s cult horror classic The Thing, has died. He was 69.

The actor was found dead on Friday in his Duarte, California, home after a call to 911 was made from the residence at 5:42 pm, TMZ reported. A cause of death has not been disclosed, but no foul play is suspected.

Born on December 18, 1956, in New York City and raised in Southern California, Carter began his screen career in the mid-1970s with guest roles on series such as Police Woman and Good Times.

He is best remembered as the roller-skating cook at the beleaguered Antarctic outpost in John Carpenter’s The Thing, starring Kurt Russell. The film follows 12 men in Antarctica who are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that hides in human form.

His other film appearances include Seems Like Old Times (1980), Southern Comfort (1981), Doctor Detroit (1983), Ski Patrol (1990), Space Jam (1996) and My Favorite Martian (1999).

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On television, Carter memorably starred as Michael “Mike: Fulton, an elementary schoolteacher, on the NBC series Punky Brewster, which followed a young girl (Soleil Moon Frye) being raised by a foster parent (George Gaynes) in Chicago.

He also took roles in The Waltons, The Jeffersons, Just Our Luck, 227, Good Morning, Miss Bliss (Saved by the Bell: The Junior High Years), Family Matters, The Sinbad Show, Moesha, The Steve Harvey Show and The Nanny and Dave, plus voice roles in The Transformers and Jem.

His final acting credit was as Cliff in the FXX sitcom Dave in 2023.

On social media, fans and colleagues mourned the death of the late actor.

“Sad to hear about the passing of my comedy brother TK… He was in the business for over 50 years... I’m glad we shared a good laugh last time we met.. rest well TK,” comedian Loni Love shared on X.

“That brother was so funny. As a 90s baby this makes me sad for real,” one fan wrote.

“What a cool dude. I met him when I first moved to LA. Very down to earth,” shared another.

“I literally couldn’t pin down a show because I’ve seen him on so many,” added a third. “He will be missed severely.”

Carter is survived by his wife, Janet Carter.