Paul D’Amato Dies: Memorable ‘Slapshot,’ ‘Deer Hunter’ And ‘Heaven’s Gate’ Actor Was 76

Paul D’Amato, the actor who played the gloriously vicious Tim “Dr. Hook” McCracken opposite Paul Newman in Slap Shot, has died, according to the Pittsburgh Film Office. He was 76.

D’Amato got the role in Slap Shot in part because he could hold his own on the ice. He played in college at Emerson and also for a team called The Reds in a Burlington, VT league in 1975.

But D’Amato also had screen presence, holding his own opposite Paul Newman as his character’s wild-eyed nemesis who earned his nickname through his scalpel-like skills with a hockey stick.

D’Amato’s other notable credits include Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter and Heaven’s Gate as well as F/X and a bit part (his first) in opposite Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force.

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