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How did Earl Boen die? ‘The Terminator’ star was 81

As the news of Earl Boen's death started surfacing online, some of his fans turned to social media and went down memory lane while sharing condolences

HONOLULU, HAWAII: Earl Boen, a renowned character and voice actor best remembered for his role as Dr Peter Silberman in 'The Terminator' movies, died on Thursday in Hawaii. He died on Thursday at the age of 81. According to a friend of Boen's and his family, the actor was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in the fall of 2022.

Boen starred in 'The Terminator', 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', and 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' as Dr Silberman, a criminal psychologist. He also appeared in archive footage in 2019’s 'Terminator: Dark Fate'.

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He also starred in 'Battle Beyond the Stars' (1980), 'The Man with Two Brains' (1983), 'Alien Nation' (1988), 'Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult' (1994), and 'Nutty Professor II: The Klumps' (1996). In 2003, Boen resigned from acting in films, although he continued working as a voice actor in radio, animated shows, and video games. As a voice actor, he was known for voicing characters such as Mr Bleakman in 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' and Señor Senior Sr in 'Kim Possible'. He was also the narrator in 'World of Warcraft' and Captain LeChuck in the 'Monkey Island' video game series.

The New York native, Earl is survived by his wife, Cathy. His first wife, Carole, passed away in 2001. Besides his movie career, he also appeared on TV. Boen portrayed Rev Lloyd Meechum in the 1980s sitcom “Mama’s Family.” He guested on several series, including “Great Performances,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Wonder Woman,” “Police Woman,” “Barnaby Jones,” “A Man Called Sloane,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Soap,” “King’s Crossing,” “Three’s Company,” “Fantasy Island,” “It’s a Living,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Golden Palace,” “The Wonder Years” and “Seinfeld.” His TV movie credits include “The Children Nobody Wanted,” “Last of the Good Guys,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Getting Physical,” “Antony and Cleopatra,” “Annihilator” and “Opposites Attract,” Variety noted. 

Meanwhile, as the news of his death started surfacing online, some of his fans turned to social media and went down memory lane while sharing their condolences. "Just saw that Earl Boen has died. He had so many roles over the years but, to me, he'll always be the voice of LeChuck in the Monkey Island games. Not many people could bring an undead pirate to life, but he did it brilliantly. RIP," a fan on Twitter wrote. Another wrote "I'm saddened to learn we lost Earl Boen yesterday who killed it as Dr Silberman in James Cameron's TERMINATOR movies - and popped up in the likes of THE MAJESTIC, MARKED FOR DEATH, ALIEN NATION, BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS and THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS too. RIP." "Sad to hear of the passing of Earl Boen, so memorable as Dr Silberman in the first three Terminator movies," another user wrote.

"Very sad to hear this, I'd always hoped to get a chance to meet him & banter in pirate voices R.I.P. Earl Boen. Thank You for giving so much character in your portrayal of our favorite Ghost/Zombie/Demon Pirate and many other roles. My Condolences to his family & all affected," another user wrote.