Brad William Henke Dies: ‘Orange Is The New Black’, ‘Justified’ & ‘Dexter’ Actor Was 56

William Brad Henke, a former NFL player who transitioned to acting, passed away in his sleep on November 29. The cause of his death was not disclosed. He was 56 years old. Henke had appeared in various TV series such as Lost, Justified, and Orange Is the New Black, as well as films like World Trade Center and Pacific Rim.

He made an appearance in Super Bowl XXIV, and later joined the Denver Broncos as a defensive lineman. In 1989, he was selected by the New York Giants in the draft. Henke, who was both an All-Academic student and a journalist, played college football for the University of Arizona. He served as the team captain and was born on April 10, 1966, in Columbus, NE. He grew up in Littleton, CO.

Arli$$ and Bridges Nash, Silk Stockings, and Hope Chicago were among the TV series on which he regularly worked until nearly racking up 100 credits this year. He began scoring guest spots on shows such as ER to continue his work until retiring in 1994, when injuries forced him to pursue a new career coaching “big guys” in Los Angeles.

The actor, Sam Trammell, landed his first major recurring role on the WB Network comedy Going to California, which aired on Showtime for one season in 2000-02. He starred opposite Nikki Cox as the lead character in the road-trip dramedy set in California.

During the early 2000s, Amy Henke appeared in a number of feature films, including Hollywoodland, The Center of Trade World, Zodiac, and The Dogs. Before being cast as a suspect turned victim near Dexter’s Tony Tucci in Showtime’s Episodes, he also had small parts in Love Must Know We Everyone, You Me, and Nixon, Richard of Assassination. Additionally, he made guest appearances on series such as Judging Amy, Jordan Crossing, and CSI.

Henke obtained his second recurring role on ABC’s short-lived 2007 series October Road.

In the drama series Justified, Ryan Shawn went on to play Bennett Coover in two episodes of Season seven on FX’s Code Chicago. Before being cast as Bram on Lost and guesting on Miami CSI: and Life Order, & Law, he had a recurring role in a dozen and a half episodes of Mars.

He gained recognition for his most famous character, Pete, in the popular TV series Sneaky Video’s Prime and Bridge on FX in the mid-2010s. Additionally, he was part of the talented cast and received a Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for his performance in the film Choke.

The ensemble was once again nominated the next year. He starred in over twenty episodes from 2016-18 and received a SAG Award for Exceptional Performance by a Group in a Humorous Series in 2017. Henke was chosen for the role of Desi Piscatella, a homosexual correctional officer at Litchfield Federal Penitentiary, in Jenji Kohan’s Showtime dramedy Orange Is the New Black.

During the 2020-21 period, Henke made appearances as Tom Cullen in CBS All Access’ The Stand and as Big John in the second season of Discovery’s Manhunt. His other latest accomplishments consist of Law & Order: SVU and the 2022 movies Block Party and Run & Gun.

Numerous acquaintances, colleagues in the performing arts, and pupils; granddaughter Amirah; stepdaughter Leasa; stepson Aaden; his spouse, Sonja; his sibling, Annette; and his parent, Tammy endured Henke.