Charles Cyphers, Star of 3HalloweenMovies, Dies at 85 After 'Brief Illness'

Mar. 15, 2025

Charles Cyphers attends ‘Halloween Con: 40 Years of Terror’ in October 2018.Photo:Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Charles Cyphers, who played Sheriff Leigh Brackett in theHalloweenfranchise, has died at 85.

“With a heavy heart I can announce that veteran actor of the stage and screen, Charles Cyphers passed away comfortably from a brief illness in Tucson, Ariz., on Sunday, August 4,” his manager Chris Roe said in a statement to PEOPLE.

“His family asks for privacy at this time. Details on a celebration of life ceremony will happen at a date and location to be determined,” Roe added.

Cyphers first portrayed Sheriff Leigh Brackett in John Carpenter’s firstHalloweenmovie in 1978, oppositeJamie Lee Curtis. He returned to the role for the sequelsHalloween II(1981) andHalloween Kills(2021) in his final screen appearance.

Prior to this, the late actor worked with Carpenter on his earlier hit movieAssault on Precinct 13(1976), in which he played Officer Starker.

Cyphers’ costar in both films, Nancy Kyes, told PEOPLE, “So sorry to hear about dear Chuck. My friend of many years, he could always be relied on for a kind word, a good laugh and a great story. How he will be missed."

Born in Niagara Falls, N.Y. in 1939, Cyphers developed an early passion for acting and earned a BA in theater from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and California State University, perVariety.

Charles Cyphers at the ‘Halloween Returns To Haddonfield: The 25th Anniversary Convention’.Albert L. Ortega/WireImage

Albert L. Ortega/WireImage

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“Charles was a lovable and sensitive man,” Roe told PEOPLE. “He always had the best stories, and you got a full performance while he told you.  He was a close friend and client of many years who will be dearly missed.”

source: people.com