Beau William Starr (September 1, 1944 – April 24, 2026) was an American actor who starred in film and television. He is known for his film role as Sheriff Ben Meeker in the 1988 horror film Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers; he reprised his role in the 1989 sequel Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.
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Early life
Beau Starr was born in Queens, New York City, on September 1, 1944. His younger brother is actor Mike Starr. Before Starr became an actor he was a professional football player known as Bill Starr. Primarily a tight end, he played college football for the Hofstra Pride and was signed by the New York Jets, with whom he served on the taxi squad for three seasons. He later played in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Career
In 1980, Starr acted in the play The Set-Up at the American Theater of Actors.
Starr's well-known television role was in the 1990s Canadian television series Due South as Lieutenant Harding Welsh of the Chicago Police Department. He also starred in the 1980s television series Rituals, Bizarre and True Blue. He has starred in several made-for-television movies, and appeared in a number of productions based in Canada, including Due South, Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye and Doc as well as some advertisements.
His first feature film role was in the 1982 comedy film Hanky Panky with Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner. He also appeared in Carl Reiner's 1987 comedy Summer School, Martin Scorsese's hit 1990 crime drama Goodfellas as Henry Hill's father, and in the 2005 drama Cinderella Man. Starr made many guest appearances on television series, including T.J. Hooker, The A-Team, Knight Rider, Hill Street Blues, V: The Series, Hunter, Wings, The 4400, A Nero Wolfe Mystery and NYPD Blue.
Death
Starr died at his home in Vancouver, Canada, on April 24, 2026, at the age of 81.
