Perhaps known best for his roles as a brutal prison guard in the 1974 comedy-drama The Longest Yard and more recently the butler in the 2011 Oscar winning film The Artist, Ed Lauter appeared in more than 200 films and TV episodes since the early 1970s. However, many may now know that Lauter was battling a rare form of cancer, mesothelioma, even while he was working all the way to the end.
It is reported that Lauter found out he had contracted mesothelioma in May 2013 and died about 6 months after his diagnosis on October 16, 2013. It has not been published where Lauter might have been exposed to asbestos in his past that would have led to the development of mesothelioma. The average survival times for people with mesothelioma have been between 4 and 30 months. Between 5% and 10% of people with mesothelioma live at least 5 years after their cancer is found.
Though Lauter’s battle was too short, he lived it up until the very end, working steadily on films that have yet to be released.
Other celebrities who have battled mesothelioma include:
Sean Sasser, MTV Star and Aids Activist | August 2013
Merlin Olsen, NFL player and actor | March 2010
Hamilton Jordan, Jimmy Carter’s Chief of Staff | May 2008
Paul Gleason, Actor | May 2006
Steve McQueen, Actor | November 1980
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