Tony Todd, Voice of Spider-Man 2’s Venom Among Many Other Roles, Dies at 69

Tony Todd, the voice of Spider-Man 2’s Venom among many other roles, has died at 69. Deadline was the first to report the news.

Todd appeared in numerous roles across a long career dating back to the 1980s, including Platoon, Final Destination, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he played Worf’s lost brother, Kurn. Todd’s career in horror, which included a title role in 1992’s Candyman, earned him a Lifetime Achieveement Award at the New York City Horror Film Festival.

More recently, Todd had a starring role in Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2, and we spoke to him about embodying the essence of Venom ahead of last year’s release. Todd also hinted that Insomniac had only used 10 percent of his character’s dialogue, setting off speculation of a DLC that ultimately never materialized.

Insomniac wrote in a statement released shortly after Todd’s death, “Insomniac Games is heartbroken by the passing of our friend Tony Todd. He brought so much joy to our studio during the production of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and to many fans around the world with his inimitable voice and presence. We are Venom… forever.”

Other fans also paid tribute to Todd, calling him a “horror legend” as well as a terrific character actor. Bloody Disgusting Editor in Chief John Squires wrote, “The loss of Tony Todd is a monumental loss for the horror world. One of the all-time greats. We say it a lot. Horror icon. Horror legend. He embodied all of that. Made every movie he was in better. A staple of the convention scene. A true member of this horror family. Deeply sad.”

Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.