Brad William Henke, ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Actor, Dead at 56

Brad William Henke, an actor known for his roles in Orange Is the New Black and Justified, has died. He was 56.

Henke died in his sleep on Tuesday (Nov. 29), his rep told Variety. A cause of death was not immediately available.

“Brad was an incredibly kind man of joyous energy,” Henke’s manager, Matt DelPiano, told TMZ. “A very talented actor, he loved being a part of this community…and we loved him back. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.”

The actor, who began his career as a professional football player before transitioning to TV and movies, was born in Columbus, Neb. on April 10, 1966. He attended the University of Arizona, where he played football, and was later drafted to the Denver Broncos and played in Super Bowl XXIV as part of the team’s defensive line.

After retiring from the sport in 1994, Henke kicked off his acting career, appearing in shows like Chicago Hope, ER, Sports Night, Crossing Jordan and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He also acted in a handful of movies at the start of his career, including Space Jam and Must Love Dogs.

He continued to amass TV credits throughout the 2000s, appearing in multiple episodes of Dexter as Tony Tucci, and also acting in Cold Case, Law & Order, October Road, Lost, Party Down, Criminal Minds, Shameless, Bones and The Office.

Henke appeared in Orange Is the New Black in 2016, playing Desi Piscatella across 26 episodes of the Netflix prison drama. Following his stint on OITNB, his recent credits include Manhunt, the 2020 Stephen King adaptation The Stand and the film Run & Gun.

In the past year, he appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Captain Don Kubiak. His final role is listed on IMDb as Buddy Frank in Block Party.