In The News

Actor Eric Lawson passes away

Actor Eric Lawson passes away

THE death has taken place in the United States of bit part actor Eric Lawson who at one point in his career appeared as a so-called ‘Marlboro Man’ in the cigarette advertisements.

Mr. Lawson, who was 72, passed away at his home in California after suffering respiratory failure.

He will be best remembered as one of the many actors hired by the Philip Morris company to appear in ads for the Marlboro brand. Mr. Lawson portrayed the cowboy character in print advertisements which appeared mostly in magazines during a period from the late 1970s to the early 1980s.

His acting career had begun in the early 1970s with appearances in a number of TV shows including Police Story, The Streets of San Francisco and The Waltons.

After his stint as a Marlboro Man, Mr. Lawson continued his career as a bit part actor in both television and movies. His long list of TV credits included Dynasty, Trapper John, MD, Dangerous Women, Baywatch and Soldier of Fortune, Inc.

His movie work included appearances in Skeeter (1993), The Shooter (1997),  The Prophet (1999), and Agent Red (2000). His final film credit was for Totally Baked: A Pot-U-Mentary (2007).

Mr. Lawson had smoked since he was 14, but in later years he spoke out about the negative effects of smoking.

He is survived by his wife Susan and his six children, 18 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

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