The shocking news of legendary actor Ned Beatty’s passing has been released. According to CNN, Beatty died at the age of 83 due to natural causes yesterday morning, surrounded by his family and loved ones. 

Beatty was celebrated and well-respected for the duration of his career. His first film role established his presence in the industry in the 1972 film Deliverance where he starred as one of the four Georgia men who embarked on a harrowing canoe trip. And he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1976’s Network, played the character Otis in 1978’s Superman, and held numerous other theater, TV, and film roles. 

The revered actor was also once hailed as the ‘busiest actor in Hollywood’, as CNN references.

Beatty was born and raised in Kentucky. Before he started his career, he fished and worked on farms. He began as a professional performer at age ten, singing in gospel quartets and in a barbershop to earn pocket money. Then, he settled in performing for theater in Virginia and D.C. before he was noticed by film director John Boorman on Broadway. From there, Beatty was selected to play Bobby Tripe in Deliverance, and the rest is history.

His other films include All the President’s Men, The Big Easy, and Hear My Song, and more recently, The Walker, Charlie Wilson’s War, and Shooter. 

And per Deadline, fans and members of the film industry, from directors to actors, have spoken their praises for the lasting legacy Beatty left behind. Even friends and film geeks took to social media to reflect on the kind man he was, who transformed every role into something unforgettable.