'Breakfast Club' Principal Gleason Dies

[BeatleBoot]

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=2015596

'Breakfast Club' Principal Gleason Dies

Paul Gleason, Character Actor Known for His Role in 'The Breakfast Club,' Dies at 67

BURBANK, Calif. May 29, 2006 (AP)— Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," has died. He was 67.

Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason.

"Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. "He was awesome."

A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s.

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[bluestateguy]

1. He also reprised that role in "Not Another Teen Movie" (2001)

Good actor.

[Scurrilous]

2. " Next time I have to come in here, I'm crackin' skulls."

[bigworld]

3. If you mess with the bull...

... you get the horns.

RIP

[aquart]

4. WTH did he pick up the asbestos?

The man always turned in an absolutely reliable performance.

[mtnester]

7. I know of more than a dozen folks his age who have this type of cancer

or have died from it very recently...my mother had it. We have no idea how she was exposed. This cancer kills VERY quickly...by the time you find it, you have about 4-6 months to live, and it is nearly asymptomatic until it is too late. One of my coworker's father suffered chest pain (thought it was angina) and went in for a test, they found this stuff by accident in FEBRUARY, and by April it was into his brain. He is close to the end.

My mother died from a malfunctioning trapezoid filter (for blood clots) that ruptured into her vena cava (yeah an arrogant ER doc would not listed when we suggested this or even believe that happened..guess what idiot)...when they did an autopsy, they found out she was full of this stuff and would have only had a few months to live...and she had no symptoms...it was completely covering her lungs, into her liver and into her esophagus. Thankfully, she never had to know she had it.

[dysfunctional press]

9. although the cancer kills quickly...

it doesn't necessarily come from recent exposure to asbestos, does it...?

[mtnester]

11. We have no idea when her exposure was, nor does my coworker

know exactly when his father was exposed.

[aquart]

18. A dozen? With a cancer considered rare?

That's one hell of a cluster, my friend.

[mtnester]

30. No kidding...the only thing they have in common is that they worked

for some type of government agency (law, local, state etc) and they are about the same age...hell, they are all within 5 years on the spread of each other. I guess the only other thing they have in common is that they all lived in their youth within 100 square miles of each other.

Who knows what the connection is.

[Up2Late]

20. The Hot water pipes in a lot of older schools were wrapped in it.

That and crumbling Ceiling tiles of schools built in the 40's and 50's, was one of the main reasons for the public outrage in the 1970's.

My Sunday school was built like that.

This guy, I suspect because he was a character actor, probably took a lot of odd jobs in between acting jobs. Jobs like Construction site clean-up, before we knew the danger.

[Up2Late]

21. oops, wrong place.

[dysfunctional press]

8. asbestos used to be fairly common.

at his age, i'm sure that he probably encountered a lot of it in his younger days.

a lot of people did.

[mtnester]

10. Yes, like in their homes...this is where we suspect my mother was exposed

or during remodeling at her place of business (government agency)...now everyone there is freaking and wondering of the contractor, er, hid the fact that there was asbestos in the building and just went ahead and demoed while everyone there continued working, dust and all...they are checking it out.

[aquart]

19. They damn well should freak out.

I'm glad they're looking into it.

[Scairp]

5. Wow

They have been running the "100 Funniest Movies" thing this weekend, and he was on it. He looked old but fine. Too bad.

[Stevendsmith]

6. Oh, man! He was great. R.I.P. (n/t)

[Canuck55]

12. His best role imo...

... was as the coach in Johnny Be Goode.

"Johnny! Johnny Ballgame!"

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

14. Loved him, too. RIP.

[Ilsa]

13. Rest in Peace. What a lovely man and excellent actor. nt

[OldLeftieLawyer]

15. Same thing that killed Warren Zevon

I was thinking, wouldn't it be great if they had a long strand of toilet paper stuck to the underside of his casket for his funeral?

Tasteless, I know, but that was one of the funniest moments in "Breakfast Club," and he did that scene so damn well.

He was all right. And 'way too young to die.

[Kolesar]

26. "I will *not* be made a fool of!"

I think it was one of those waxy paper toilet seat covers, actually.

I loved the scene when the school custodian cued him in that the kids were not getting to be more trouble, it was just that he was aging and losing his patience.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

28. Was it?

I have seen that movie so many times, I guess it's blurring for me.

That janitor was the star of the show, for me. That conversation - while he's shaking him down because he's been going through the files - was so perfect, so dead right on, I think it was lost on a lot of people.

A small star turn, a small work of genius.

[Critters2]

29. Yeah, it was

Wicked funny!!

[rpannier]

16. This is sad

He was a fine actor. I liked him in many movies -- especially Trading Places.

[no_hypocrisy]

17. Ironically, I was asking myself last night, "Whatever happened to Beaks?"

(Trading Places)

RIP

[Up2Late]

22. Wow, I didn't think he was that old.

That means he was about my current age when he did "The Breakfast Club."

[Doctor_J]

23. Also played Clarence Beeks in "Trading Places"

Great character. RIP.

Edit: Oops. I didn't see the other posts.

[Charlie Brown]

24. What a shame. Rest in peace, Mr. Gleason nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

25. You mess with the bulls, you get the horns

Vernon: You're not fooling anyone, Bender. The next screw that falls out is going to be you.
Bender: Eat my shorts.
Vernon: What was that?
Bender: Eat. My. Shorts.
Vernon: You just bought yourself another Saturday.
Bender: Ugh, I'm crushed.
Vernon: You just bought one more right there.
Bender: Well, I'm free the Saturday after that. Beyond that, I'm gonna have to check my calendar.
Vernon: Good. Because its going to be filled. We'll keep going. Want another one? Say the word. Just say the word. Instead of going to prison you'll come here. Are you through?
Bender: No.
Vernon: I'm doing society a favor.
Bender: So?
Vernon: Thats another one right now. I've got you the rest of your natural born life if you don't watch your step! You want another one?
Bender: Yes.
Mr.Vernon Vernon: You got it! Right there, thats another one pal.
Claire: Cut it out!
Vernon: You through?
Bender: Not even close, BUD.
Vernon: Good. You got one more, right there.
Bender: You really think I give a shit?
Vernon: Another. You through?
Bender: How many is that?
Brian: Thats seven including when you asked Mr.Vernon here if Barry Manilow knew that he raided his closet.
Vernon: Now its eight.You stay out of this.
Brian: Excuse me, sir, its seven.
Vernon: Shut up, Peewee. You're mine, Bender.For two months, I've gotcha.
Bender: What can I say? I'm THRILLED.

[apnu]

27. tremendous body of work

Some really good movies and TV shows. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0322339/

I'm sorry to see you go Gleason, mesothelioma is a pox on humanity.

[genieroze]

31. My father died from it but he worked as a foreman in a asbestos plant

for twenty years. I get periodical chest x-rays because of the possibility of secondhand exposure.