Actor Samuel French has died after a two-year battle with cancer, a Hollywood director has revealed.
Paul Sinacore, the director of Samuel’s final film Towpath – which is yet to be released – was the first to share the news of his death.
French died after cancer had spread through his body over the past couple of years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor who died last Friday while in a Waco, Texas hospital, starred as Agent CJ Robinson in the Martin Scorsese-directed film, fronted by Leonardo DiCaprio.
‘Samuel was a dear friend and an incredible actor,’ Paul said in a statement.
‘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.
‘My heart goes out to his family, and especially to his daughter – he loved her deeply and spoke of her often with pride and tenderness.
‘His friendship had an unexpectedly profound impact on my life.’
Towpath is an upcoming historical drama also starring Eric Roberts, which focuses on a murder that takes place in 1964 during the civil rights movement.
For his Killers of a Flower Moon role, French attended a casting call in his native Waco, where he was spotted by the director and hired.
In his role as the former cowboy and FBI agent Robinson, French shares a memorable one-on-one scene with Robert De Niro, which was filmed during his first day on the set.
After his scene with De Niro, SInacore recalled to the US outlet how Scorsese said: ‘No one could have played Robinson as well as you did.’
French is survived by his daughter, Madison, 12; his girlfriend, Melinda, the mother of their daughter; his parents, Gary and Darlene; and his brothers, Andy and Danny.
The US actor also starred in 2024 horror thriller film Blood Dried Hands, and his other credits include small parts in Fear the Walking Dead and Texas Rising.
Born in 1980, when French was a young boy his family moved to Clifton, Texas where he graduated high school before living in Austin and Dallas.
While saying in a 2024 interview that he couldn’t wait to ‘get out of’ Clifton, he also rushed to get back.
‘That’s why I became an actor to tell true stories that happened in history that need to be told,’ he told 25 News while talking about Killers of the Flower Moon.
‘This is one of those stories that is long overdue.’
The city of Clifton honoured French after Killers of the Flower Moon, and he spoke of how much this meant to him in the same TV interview.
‘That’s where it all started. I grew up watching films in the theatre there as a kid, the passion was sparked there. It was always my goal to take a movie back to that theatre. It was very satisfying,’ he said.
Shouting out his daughter during the interview, he said: ‘She knows I love her and I do this for her, I do this for my wife and my family. Their support means everything.’
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