Charles Rocket

Charles Rocket (August 24, 1949 – October 7, 2005) was an American film and television actor, notable for his tenure as a cast member on Saturday Night Live as well as for his appearances as the villain Nicholas Andre in the film Dumb and Dumber; as Dave Dennison, the father in Disney's Hocus Pocus; and as Adam, the Angel of Death in Touched by an Angel.

Early life and career
Rocket was born Charles Adams Claverie in Bangor, Maine. He attended the Rhode Island School of Design in the late 1960s and was part of the Rhode Island underground culture scene in the 1970s that also included Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and film director Gus Van Sant.

He had a son with his wife Beth. They were married on board the battleship USS Massachusetts anchored in Fall River, Massachusetts.

He appeared from time to time with his friend Dan Gosch as superheroes "Captain Packard" and his faithful sidekick "Lobo". In a RISD yearbook, the dynamic duo appeared in a photo at the Rhode Island State House with then-Governor Frank Licht.

Rocket made several short films and fronted his band, the Fabulous Motels, on accordion. He later anchored the local news at Channel 12 WPRI and at KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs, Colorado under his own name, and WTVF Nashville under the name Charles Kennedy. He made his network debut on Saturday Night Live in 1980, using the name Charles Rocket. Later in his career Rocket would lend his accordion talents to the David Byrne-produced B-52's album Mesopotamia.

Saturday Night Live
Rocket was cast for the 1980–81 season, which followed the departure of the remaining members of the show's popular original cast and original executive producer Lorne Michaels. Singled out by new executive producer Jean Doumanian as the star of her new ensemble, Rocket was promoted as a cross between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase. Rocket was given the role of anchor for the show's Weekend Update news parody, and was featured in many sketches. He was a "utility player" of sorts, appearing in more sketches than any other male cast member that season with the exception of Joe Piscopo. Several clips of Rocket's performances appear in both the feature and featurette of the "SNL in the '80s: Lost and Found" DVD.

The February 21, 1981 episode hosted by Dallas star Charlene Tilton featured a parody of the famed "Who Shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas. In the episode, Rocket was shot in the chest by a sniper while doing a sketch about a sexy couple (with Gail Matthius as his partner) bathing a dog and spouting innuendo. At the end of the show, as cast members traditionally gathered around the host to say good night, Tilton asked Rocket how he felt about being shot. In character, a wheelchair-using Rocket improvised, "Oh, man, it’s the first time I've ever been shot in my life. I'd like to know who the fuck did it".

Due partially to the violation of broadcast standards, along with Saturday Night Live's low ratings, Doumanian and Rocket were soon fired (along with most of the writers and fellow cast members Gilbert Gottfried and Ann Risley). Piscopo and Eddie Murphy were the only cast members to survive the axe, new producer Dick Ebersol replacing Denny Dillon and Gail Matthius after producing one episode. In Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, it is reported that Rocket was particularly hostile to Murphy and Piscopo.

Post-SNL career
Rocket recovered from this early career set-back and acted in many films, including Earth Girls Are Easy, It's Pat, Steal Big Steal Little, Dances with Wolves and Dumb and Dumber, often portraying the antagonist.

In television, he secured a series of guest spots on several 1980s sitcoms, co-starred in the short-lived 1992 comedy-drama series Tequila and Bonetti, and played rival network president Ned Grossberg on the 1980s cyberpunk series Max Headroom. Rocket became well known for his role as Richard Addison (brother to Bruce Willis' David Addison) on the popular comedy-drama Moonlighting and as "Adam", the first "Angel of Death" on CBS's Touched by an Angel.

During the 1990s, some films for Rocket turned out to be box office duds such as the animated Titan A.E., the comedy Fathers' Day with Robin Williams and the 2000 John Goodman series Normal, Ohio on the Fox network. He made frequent guest appearances on many popular television programs in the 1990s and early 2000s, including Quantum Leap, Wings, The King of Queens, along with recurring roles in Touched by an Angel.

A guest role as a murderer on Law & Order: Criminal Intent marked his final appearance on network television. He also lent his voice to popular video game titles Star Wars: Starfighter, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (as the character "Nym" in both games), Descent 3, and Age of Mythology.

His final film role came in the 2003 movie Shade which starred Sylvester Stallone and Melanie Griffith.

Death
Rocket was found dead in a field near his Connecticut home on October 7, 2005; his throat had been cut. The state medical examiner later ruled the death a suicide. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered.

Recurring character

 * Phil Lively, a game show host who took his larger-than-life persona home and treated life as if it were a game show.

Celebrity impersonations on SNL

 * Ronald Reagan
 * David Rockefeller
 * Prince Charles
 * Marlin Perkins

Filmography

 * Saturday Night Live (1980–1981)
 * The Outlaws (1984) TV
 * Fraternity Vacation (1985)
 * California Girls (1985) TV
 * Moonlighting (1985–1989) TV
 * Miracles (1986)
 * Down Twisted (1987)
 * Max Headroom (1987) TV
 * Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
 * Murphy's Law (1988) TV
 * How I Got Into College (1989)
 * Honeymoon Academy (1990)
 * Quantum Leap (1990) TV
 * Dances with Wolves (1990)
 * Delirious (1991)
 * Tequila and Bonetti (1992) TV


 * Wild Palms (1993) TV
 * Hocus Pocus (1993)
 * Short Cuts (1993)
 * Brainsmasher... A Love Story (1993)
 * Flying Blind (1992) TV
 * Touched by an Angel (1993–2003) TV
 * Charlie's Ghost Story (1994)
 * ''Wagons East! (1994)
 * It's Pat (1994)
 * Dumb and Dumber (1994)
 * Steal Big Steal Little (1995)
 * The Home Court (1995) TV
 * Tom and Huck (1995) - Judge Thatcher
 * The Killing Grounds (1998)
 * Murder at 1600 (1997)
 * Fathers' Day (1997)


 * Dry Martini (1998)
 * Kôtetsu tenshi Kurumi (1999) TV
 * Star Trek: Voyager (1999) TV
 * Carlo's Wake (1999)
 * The X-Files (1999) TV
 * Tex, the Passive-Aggressive Gunslinger (2000)
 * Titan A.E. (2000)
 * Normal, Ohio (2000) TV (7)
 * 3rd Rock from the Sun (2001) TV
 * Greg the Bunny (2002) TV
 * New Suit (2002)
 * Bleach (2002) short
 * ''King of Queens (2003) TV
 * Shade (2003)
 * Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2004) TV

Music videos

 * "Yer So Bad" by Tom Petty (1989)
 * "King of the Hill" by Roger McGuinn with Tom Petty (1991)
 * "Good Year" by The Refreshments (1997)