Kent Broadhurst, 'Silver Bullet' Actor, Dies at 86

Kent Broadhurst, the actor and screenwriter whose credits ranged from the Stephen King adaptation “Silver Bullet” to the screenplay for the television film “Wild Iris,” and who appeared in Luc Besson’s “Léon: The Professional,” has died. He was 86.

The news of Broadhurst’s death was confirmed on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. No cause of death has been announced, and family representatives have asked for privacy. While never a household name, Broadhurst carved out a distinctive career that moved between stage, film, and television, often in character roles that demanded quiet intensity or world-weary authority.

A Character Actor’s Path

Broadhurst’s most widely seen film role came in 1994’s “Léon: The Professional,” Besson’s stylized action thriller about a hitman who takes in a young girl after her family is murdered. Broadhurst appeared in a supporting part, a testament to his ability to hold the screen alongside a cast that included Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and a young Natalie Portman. The film became a cult classic, and Broadhurst’s performance found a long afterlife in home video and streaming.

Earlier, in 1985, he took a role in “Silver Bullet,” the werewolf horror film based on King’s novella “Cycle of the Werewolf.” Directed by Daniel Attias, the movie starred Corey Haim as a boy in a wheelchair who uncovers the town’s lycanthropic secret. Broadhurst played a townsman, adding to the film’s atmosphere of small-town dread. “Silver Bullet” was released amid the mid-’80s King boom, and though it received mixed reviews, it has since gained a devoted fan following.

Beyond these two features, Broadhurst was a consistent presence on television. He guest-starred in series that defined entire eras of the medium, including “Law & Order,” “The Equalizer,” and “Spenser: For Hire.” His face was one that viewers recognized without necessarily knowing his name - a reliable utility player capable of shifting from a weary detective to a dangerous stranger.

Writing for the Screen

Broadhurst’s talents extended far beyond acting. In 2001, he wrote the screenplay for “Wild Iris,” a made-for-television drama directed by Michael Scott. The film starred Marcia Gay Harden as a woman struggling with the aftermath of her husband’s suicide, with Gena Rowlands in a supporting role. Harden delivered a performance that earned her an Emmy nomination, and Broadhurst’s script was praised for its unflinching yet compassionate portrait of grief and family rupture.

“Wild Iris” was produced for the Showtime network and aired as part of a series of original movies. The screenplay allowed Broadhurst to showcase a different side of his craft: a gift for naturalistic dialogue and emotional restraint. It was a work that revealed the same economy of character he exhibited as an actor - the ability to say a great deal with very little.

Stage Roots and Later Years

Before film and television, Broadhurst spent years on the stage. He was an active member of the theatrical community in New York, performing in Off-Broadway and regional productions. That stage training underpinned his screen performances, lending them a lived-in quality that resisted easy categorization.

In interviews from earlier decades, he described acting as “a constant process of watching and listening,” a philosophy that served him well in small but crucial parts. Colleagues remembered him as a generous scene partner, someone who cared less about the size of the role than about the truth of the moment.

Details about survivors and memorial arrangements have not yet been released. For fans of the films and shows he touched, Kent Broadhurst leaves behind a quiet but indelible mark - the kind that only becomes clearer with time.

Source: Hollywood Reporter