Veteran actor T.K. Carter, best known to horror fans for his role as Nauls in John Carpenter’s 1982 classic The Thing, has died. He was 69.
According to reports, Carter was found deceased on Friday at his home in Duarte, California, after authorities responded to a call for service around 5:42 p.m. A death report was filed, and law enforcement has indicated that no foul play is suspected. A cause of death has not been publicly released.
Carter’s career spanned nearly five decades, beginning in the mid-1970s and encompassing a wide range of film and television work. While The Thing remains his most iconic role—cementing his place in horror history—his film credits also include Runaway Train (1985), Space Jam (1996), and Domino (2005).
On television, Carter was a familiar face across multiple eras. He appeared as Mike Fulton on Punky Brewster throughout the 1980s and later played T-Bone on The Steve Harvey Show in the 1990s. He also earned acclaim for his work in the HBO miniseries The Corner in 2000, later reflecting on the project in a 2025 interview, where he shared how difficult it was to even secure an audition before a personal connection helped open the door.
In recent years, Carter continued acting, with appearances in The Company You Keep and multiple episodes of Lil Dicky’s Dave in 2023.
Dread Central extends its condolences to Carter’s family, friends, and fans. His work—especially his unforgettable turn in The Thing—will continue to resonate with genre audiences for generations.
This sad news was first reported on by TMZ.
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