Samuel French was an actor on the rise before his untimely death on Friday, May 9.
French, 45, died at a hospital in his hometown of Waco, Texas, after a long battle with cancer that spread throughout his body, writer-director Paul Sinacore told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Samuel was a dear friend and an incredible actor. Towpath wouldn’t exist without him, and the incredible intensity he brought to the role of Det. Bernard Crooke set the tone for the entire film,” Sinacore said, referring to his upcoming historical drama. “Together we were on an extraordinary journey, giving everything we had to realize a shared creative vision.”
Sinacore added, “Samuel carried a fire for acting that burned in every frame — unfiltered, fearless, and alive. He gave himself completely to the work, and it showed. I am deeply saddened by his loss and only wish he could have seen the final cut. He was one of a kind, and he will remain in our hearts forever.”
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French’s most notable role was playing undercover FBI agent CJ Robinson in Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon. The award-winning film, starring Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro, came out in October 2023.
Since his passing, several of French’s loved ones and former colleagues have shared their condolences via social media.
“I was able to work with Sam on my feature film, Monsters Within, and collaborate with him. He was so excited about the release of Killers of the Flower Moon as we were filming, and his presence/performance really elevated our movie and myself as a director/actor,” Devin Montgomery wrote on Facebook.
“It’s not every day you get to work [with] someone who was on a Scorsese set. One thing that was very clear, though, just how important his daughter was to him and how much he loved her,” the message continued. “It was a very cool moment as she got to watch him work in a scene, and later on, he told me just how special that moment was to him.”
French is survived by his daughter, Madison, and her mother, as well as his girlfriend, Melinda, his parents, Gary and Darlene, and his brothers, Andy and Dany.
