'Willy Wonka' actor dies at age 87

RIP Sam Beauregarde. You'll be missed.

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E! News has confirmed that Leonard Stone, the actor best known for playing Violet Beauregarde's father in the classic 1971 fantasy film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," died Wednesday. He was 87.

The cause of death was cancer, according to a statement from the actor's family.

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As fans of the 1971 big-screen Roald Dahl adaptation will recall, Stone's character notably complained to Gene Wilder's crazy confectioner that he's "got a blueberry for a daughter" when Violet transformed into the giant fruit after trying Wonka's Three-Course-Dinner gum.

The actor got his start on the stage, having trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts before serving as the captain on a minesweeper during World War II. Following the war, Stone appeared on stage in South Pacific, Look Homeward, Angel and Bob Fosse's musical Redhead, for which he won a Tony for Best Supporting Actor in 1959.

Stone appeared on such '50s and '60s staples as :The Donna Reed Show," "The Jean Arthur Show," "Rawhide" and "Perry Mason" among others.

After "Wonka," he landed parts in nearly every major prime-time hit of its day, from "M*A*S*H" and "The Bob Newhart Show" in the '70s to "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Hill Street Blues" and "L.A. Law" in the '80s.

Stone's most recent credits include playing Warren Buffett in the 2005 TV movie "See Arnold Run" and lending his voice to the animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender."

The actor passed away surrounded by his wife, daughters and grandchildren.

"Somehow he managed to make each of his children and grandchildren feel that they were secretly his favorite," said granddaughter Frankie Solomon in a statement to E! News. "I think that's his greatest accomplishment."

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Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45157098/ns/today-entertainment/

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