Dale Critchlow, the Napoleon Dynamite actor played by Jared Hess, passed away on February 18 at the age of 92. His relatives reported his death to The Preston Citizen, a local newspaper. According to Deadline, the centenarian passed away in the Idaho Falls MorningStar Senior Living facility.
However, the family did not identify the cause of his death. Given his age, Critchlow most likely died of natural causes. According to an obituary in local media, the funeral of the deceased Idaho citizen will be held in Preston next Friday.
What is the late Napoleon Dynamite actor Dale Critchlow renowned for?
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Dale Critchlow is best known for playing Farmer Lyle in the 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite. In the film, he portrayed a chicken farmer who shot a cow as a school bus approached.
He also appears in other scenes, such as when his character has lunch with Jon Heder’s Napoleon on a farm. After making his acting debut in the 2004 sleeper hit, Critchlow became a local sensation in his hometown of Idaho Falls.
Two years later, he portrayed Rodney Munch in Kurt Hale’s Church Ball. Dale Critchlow only appeared in two films from 2004 to 2006 during his brief acting career.
How did Critchlow become an actor?
In a 2020 interview with EastIdahoNews.com, which he owed to director Jared Hess, Critchlow addressed his surprising foray into acting.
The Utahn claimed that he met the director while searching for missing sheep. Critchlow described an incident in which his sheep escaped and wound up on the mother’s land of Jared Hess.
At the time, Hess was assisting Critchlow with the return of his sheep. Hess allegedly offered the deceased farmer the role of Lyle in Napoleon Dynamite at a later date. Critchlow applauded the photograph in an interview with EastIdahoNews.com. He said,
In a few places, I found it to be mildly amusing, but in others, I found it to be somewhat dragged out. He did a wonderful job.”
According to sources, Critchlow is survived by his four children and grandchildren. 2008 marked the passing of his wife of nearly 49 years, Glenna Marie Hunsaker.
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