‘Orange is the New Black’ Actor Dead at 56 Years Old

TMZ reported that Brad William Henke died in his sleep Tuesday. The cause of his death is unclear at this time.

Henke was 56 at the time of his death. he is best known for playing Piscatella, a prison guard on the Netflix show “Orange is the New Black”. He also had roles in “Lost” and “Justified” and had been in a couple of movies as well.

Before he started acting Henke was a defensive lineman in the NFL. He played in Super Bowl XXIV for the Denver Broncos. He retired from football after ankle injuries and started to act in 1994.

H took roles in many TV shows including “ER”, “CSI”, and “Dexter”, as well as many others.

Matt DelPiano, Henke’s manager, shared with TMZ, “Brad was an incredibly kind man of joyous energy. A very talented actor, he loved being a part of this community….and we loved him back. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.”

Henke was born in Columbus, NE, he was raised in Littleton, CO, and attended the University of Arizona on a football scholarship.

The New York Giants drafted him in 1989. After retiring in 1994 he moved to Los Angeles trying to break into coaching and instead started acting.

In 2000 he opened an acting studio and started to coach others in their careers.

Henke leaves behind his wife Sonja, stepson Aaden, stepdaughter Leasa, grandchild Amirah as well as his mother Tammy and sister Annette.