Longtime actor Walter Olkewicz, who had a recurring gig on “Twin Peaks” and appeared on popular series such as “ER” and “Seinfeld,” died Tuesday at age 72.
The actor’s death in Los Angeles was confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter by his son, Zak Olkewicz, who said his father battled health problems for two decades.
Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Olkewicz portrayed the Roadhouse bartender Jacques Renault during the original run of “Twin Peaks,” appearing on multiple episodes of the mystery-drama series in 1990.
Olkewicz was also known for his longtime role as Dougie Boudreau on the sitcom “Grace Under Fire,” about a single’s mother life after divorcing her husband. He played Dougie on dozens of episodes of the ABC series, which aired from 1993 to 1998.
Known as a character actor, Olkewicz went on hiatus after suffering infections from knee surgeries, his son told THR.
The actor returned for the “Twin Peaks” reboot in 2017.
“It was his first role in almost 15 years, and he did it all from behind a bar to cover the fact that he couldn’t stand,” his son told THR.
Olkewicz appeared on numerous notable projects during the 1990s, including playing a bartender on “Matlock,” a cable guy, Nick, on a 1996 episode of “Seinfeld,” and voicing Carmine Falcon on “Batman: The Animated Series.”
He appeared on multiple episodes of “Who’s The Boss?” as Tiny McGee as well, and portrayed multiple characters across several episodes of “Night Court.”
