Tom Cruise’s Co-Star From Hit Film Passes Away

Nicholas Pryor, who played a supportive role behind a young Tom Cruise in the 1983 hit film “Risky Business,” has passed away, according to the New York Post. He was 89. Pryor, who only fully retired from acting in 2021, lost his battle with cancer, taking his final breath in peace at his Wilmington, North Carolina home, according to a statement from his agent on Wednesday.

The Baltimore, Maryland native gained modest Hollywood fame after acting opposite a young Cruise in the coming-of-age film, playing a watchful father as his teenage son exploits a vacation by his parents while indulging in a steamy affair with a call girl. The box office hit proved to be a launching pad for Cruise’s career, a feat Pryor was always proud to have played a role in. Emmy-winning actor Jon Lindstrom paid tribute to his dear friend in an online statement, according to USA Today.

“It is my solemn task to announce the passing of the great Nicholas Pryor. Nick was an Actor’s actor, and an exceptional friend. He passed on October 7, 2024, surrounded by loving family. Nick may be best known for his role as the father of #TomCruise in #RiskyBusiness, or as the same to #RobertDowneyJr in #LessThanZero. He shared the screen with the likes of #JackNicholson #KurtRussell #EwanMcGregor Too many to name really. He starred on #Broadway and delivered terrific work in Film and TV for over 60 years,” Lindstrom wrote on X.

Nicholas Pryor, ‘Risky Business’ and ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ actor, dead at 89 https://t.co/a3l17JoaSu pic.twitter.com/W1OsRRKD6Q

— New York Post (@nypost) October 9, 2024

“But to me, he was my friend. One of the best I’ve ever had,” he continued. “He was a mentor, a sounding board, a trusted confidant, and even a father-figure beyond, yes, playing my own father on #GH and #PortCharles. And he was one of the funniest people you could hope to spend time with over a bottle of good wine and a great meal. I will miss him terribly, as will his beautiful wife Christina, his daughter Stacey, and his two grandchildren, Gus and Avril. R.I.P. #FlightOfAngels #RIP @GeneralHospital“

The role of an overbearing father was a natural fit for Pryor, a Yale graduate with no formal acting education. He donned much the same character in support of a young Robert Downey, Jr. five years later in the film “Less Than Zero.” Rather than escapades with a call girl, Downey’s collegiate character returns home on break to discover his high school mate and former girlfriend have descended into the throes of drug addiction. Although it initially received mixed reviews, “Less Than Zero” propelled Pryor onward to more commercially successful projects.

Pryor is credited with notable roles in Pacific Heights (1990), Executive Decision (1996), The Chamber (1996) and Collateral Damage (2002), and in 1993 he married Christine Belford, a former co-star on the hit TV series “Beverly Hills, 90210.” During the final decades of his 64-year career in front of the cameras, Pryor took on smaller roles in both projects large and small. Some of his final credits include 2021’s “Halloween Kills” starring Jamie Lee Curtis and 2019’s “Doctor Sleep,” the sequel to Stephen King’s “The Shining” starring Ewan McGregor.

Pryor is survived by Belford, his daughter Stacey, and their two grandchildren.