HOME / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Who is Zachary Olkewicz? Walter Olkewicz’s son says actor who died at 72 'pushed' art into everything he did

Olkewicz reportedly suffered from a prolonged illness and took his last breath on Tuesday, April 6, at his Los Angeles-area home

Walter Olkewicz, the American actor best known for his role as Jacques Renault in ‘Twin Peaks’ and cable guy Nick in ‘Seinfeld’, has died at the age of 72. He reportedly suffered from a prolonged illness and took his last breath on Tuesday, April 6, at his Los Angeles-area home. The news of his death was announced by his son Zachary Olkewicz. 

He said in a statement to USA Today, “He was a good man who pushed his love for creativity and the arts into everything he did. He handed that passion down to me, and I look forward to passing it on to the grandchildren he loved so much." Walter’s final performance was in 2017 on Showtime’s ‘Twin Peak’ series where he starred as Jean-Michel Renault. The late actor is survived by son Zachary, daughter-in-law, Katrina Rennells, and grandchildren, Sadie and Declan.

READ MORE 

Who is Polly Ritter? Paul Ritter's wife sat by his side as 'Friday Night Dinner' star died at 54

How did Cliff Simon die? ‘Stargate SG-1’ actor’s tragic death at 58 has fans mourning ‘favorite villain’ Ba’al

Who is Zachary  Olkewicz?

Zachary is Walter’s only son. Reportedly, he dropped out of high school to take care of his father when he was severely ill. He eventually finished his education by taking the GED high school equivalency exam, according to Los Angeles Times. “More than a year after he was supposed to graduate, Olkewicz not only aced the exam, he earned the only perfect score out of the 569,000 people who took it in California over the last decade,” the reports state.

Zachary once said in an interview, “I think a lot of people judge me just because I dropped out, but taking the GED and getting a perfect score redeems me somewhat.” In 2002, at the age of 54, Zachary’s father learned his knee was infected that he might need a seventh surgery. The actor reportedly sought help from his son as he had no wife or relatives to lean on.

Walter reportedly said of his son, “He found a way to answer his heart and compassion for me, and also answer what he had to do for himself without shortchanging either one. There was no way I could have done it without him.”

Fans are sharing their condolences for the actor on Twitter, while remembering him for his iconic roles. One tweeted, "Arguably Walter Olkewicz did more to craft the seedy malevolence of Twin Peaks than any other actor. When people talk about David Lynch capturing the dark underbelly of America, they're, at least in part, talking about his performance. RIP". Another expressed, "#RIPWalterOlkewicz to great and one of my favorite actors was so funny and could act i remember my shows from 80s family ties night court riptide hardcastle & mccormick the a-team few more but this cheers episode with george wendt was great like he was #walterolkewicz".