‘Phantasm’ actor Reggie Bannister dies at 80

Actor Reggie Bannister, best known for his role in the “Phantasm” horror film series, died on Sunday, his wife said. He was 80.

A representative for Bannister confirmed his death to USA Today on Monday.

TMZ was the first outlet to report the news.

“Reggie Bannister fought debilitating effects of Parkinson’s while resting comfortably in his mountain home with caregivers and (his wife) Gigi by his side,” the actor’s representative said in a statement. “Gigi was with him (until) the end.”

Gigi Bannister told TMZ that her husband died at his home in Crestline, California. She added that the actor was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War and later battled Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The actor was diagnosed with vascular dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease in 2016, USA Today reported. By February 2024, his condition had progressed to Lewy body dementia, the newspaper reported.

Bannister became a cult figure for his role as Reggie, an ice cream vendor packing a gun in the 1979 horror film, “Phantasm,” according to USA Today.

The supernatural horror film starred A. Michael Baldwin as Mike, a teenager in a small town, according to Deadline. The youth investigates odd happenings at a local funeral home with his older brother Jody (played by Bill Thornbury) and family friend Reggie (Bannister).

“The ice cream is gonna be flyin’ fast and furious,” Bannister memorably utters in one scene.

Bannister appeared in all five of the franchise’s movies. In addition to the original film, he appeared in “Phantasm II” (1988), “Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead” (1994), “Phantasm IV: Oblivion” (1998) and “Phantasm: Ravager” (2016), according to IMDb.com.

Bannister would come to be known as “the hardest working man in horror.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bannister’s other acting credits included roles in “Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation” (1990), “Wishmaster (1997),” “Bubba Ho-Tep” (2002), “Journeyman” (2005), “Cemetery Gates” (2006), “Fallen Angels” (2006), “The Rage” (2007), “Sigma Die!” (2007), “The Quiet Ones” (2010), “Sawblade” (2010), “Primitive” (2011), “Bloody Bloody Bible Camp” (2012), “Disaster Wars: Earthquake vs. Tsunami” (2013) and “The Obsidian Curse” (2016).

The entertainment news website added that Bannister also was a singer-songwriter who released six albums. His musical range included rock, folk and country.

Born on Sept. 9, 1945, in Long Beach, California, Bannister’s acting career would stretch over more than 40 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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