Bruce French, a prolific character actor best known for his role as Father Lonigan on the NBC daytime drama Passions, has died at the age of 79.
French died on Friday, February 7, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. His wife of 34 years, Eileen Barnett, confirmed the news.
What Happened To Bruce French?
Character actor Bruce French, best known for playing Father Lonigan in the NBC soap Passions, has died. He was 79.
French passed away Friday in Los Angeles due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease, his wife and Days of Our Lives vet Eileen Barnett told our sister site, The Hollywood Reporter. TVLine has reached out for confirmation.
The actor recurred as Father Lonigan, the blind priest who had premonitions of evil, in Passions during its nine-season run. The series debuted on NBC in 1999 and wrapped in August 2008 on DirecTV’s 101 Network.
Obituary
It’s a dark day in Harmony. Bruce French, who played Father Lonigan on Passions off and on from 2001-08, has died at age 79, our sister site, The Hollywood Reporter, has learned from his wife, former Days of Our Lives leading lady Eileen Barnett. (She was Brooke Hamilton in the late 1970s.)
Over the course of French’s long run on NBC’s supernatural soap, his on-screen counterpart was often the character who saw trouble coming — this, despite the fact that Father Lonigan was blind.
Of course, the veteran actor also appeared in countless other TV series and movies. Among his primetime credits are not one or two but three Star Treks — The Next Generation, Voyager, and Enterprise — sudsers like Dallas and Falcon Crest, L.A. Law, Who’s the Boss?, Beverly Hills, 90210, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Criminal Minds, Eli Stone and The Waltons. He most recently appeared on NBC’s Up All Night in 2012.
Interestingly, the French were often cast as priests. On Hill Street Blues, he was a chaplain. On Moonlighting, he was a reverend. On Herman’s Head, a minister. This list just goes on and on!
French’s film credits include Mr. Deeds, Mission: Impossible III, Jurassic Park III, Fletch, Thank You for Smoking, and Star Trek: Insurrection.