Wilford Brimley, homespun character actor, dies at 85

Wilford Brimley, a Utah blacksmith and horse trainer who made a career transition to movies and commercials, often stealing scenes as gruff and homespun characters in films such as “Tender Mercies,” “The Natural” and “Cocoon,” died Aug. 1 at a hospital in St. George, Utah. He was 85.

He had been on dialysis and had several medical ailments, said his manager, Lynda Bensky.