Stolen Pixels #180: Now Leaving City 17

By Shamus Posted Friday Mar 26, 2010

Filed under: Column 24 comments

No joke today. I play it straight and say goodbye to Robert Culp.

Okay, one joke. But it’s not mine. Seen in a forum somewhere:

Cast members to have died so far while waiting for Episode 3: 1

 


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24 thoughts on “Stolen Pixels #180: Now Leaving City 17

  1. Moridin says:

    I thought the comic was supposed to be funny…

    Also:first(don’t kill me now…)

  2. Irridium says:

    Well that sucks. I was hoping for his return for Episode 3.

    To be honest, I hope you don’t stop doing stuff with Breen, but I can understand if you choose not to.

    RIP Culp.

    1. mark says:

      theres a theory that the advisor in episode 2 WAS breen, so he might still be in EP3. Something about a host transfer. its all on one of those half life wikis if you google “dr breen half life”…

  3. Nick Bell says:

    Thanks for doing this topic justice.

  4. JohnW says:

    Strange that I learn of this from a blog devoted to video games.

    I remember him from Greatest American Hero, too. I actually modelled an NPC off of his character for some CIA-type RPG – a gruff guy with a really big gun who chain smoked cigarettes. Which may or may not reflect the character he played, but that’s how I remember him.

    Wasn’t there another show he starred in?

    1. Palette says:

      He was in “I Spy”, opposite Bill Cosby.

      1. Mari says:

        He was also in “Trackdown” which was a late 50s precursor to “Walker, Texas Ranger.” In the context of other shows on television at the time, “Trackdown” was surprisingly well-written and well-acted.

  5. ChechenRebel says:

    What will Valve do now with Wallace Breen? I don’t think they will find a replacement that will do justice.

    Rest in peace you magnificent bastard

  6. Mari says:

    I have to admit, my first thought upon reading the news was, “What will this do to Shamus and Breen’s campaign?”

    A fitting tribute to a talented actor. Thanks, Shamus. RIP Mr. Culp

  7. ClearWater says:

    Man, I loved that show, Greatest American Hero. I wish they’d show it again some time.

    1. krellen says:

      If you’re a member of Netflix, the full series is available to play instantly. I, too, love the show.

  8. Juni says:

    I didn’t see him in the other thing, but the voice acting he did for Dr. Breen was top-notch. RIP.

  9. Joshua says:

    I never realized that was the actor doing Dr. Breen. Wasn’t he always saying “scenario” or something in the TV show?

  10. Awwww… I loved The Greatest American Hero. I taught myself how to play the show’s theme song on the piano when I was a kid.

    Looking forward to seeing what you do next with Stolen Pixels, Shamus.

    Leslee

    1. Unbeliever says:

      You too? I taught myself to play “Believe It Or Not” on the piano, back in the day. (It’s the only song I ever DID learn to play…)

      Greatest American Hero remains one of my favorite shows of all time…

  11. KremlinLaptop says:

    Ah buggery, here I was hoping to come in here to complain loudly about the lack of Spoiler Warnings this week. Now I’d feel like ass if I did.

    Dr Breen was brilliantly evil and this guy got that through in his voice really well.

  12. Al Shiney says:

    Wow, I must have missed Culp’s passing … major bummer. Shamus, thanks for an excellent homage to Mel Blanc too as that Speechless print is one of my all time (albeit sad) favorites.

  13. Meredith says:

    That was a nice tribute, very appropriate. I actually thought about your comic when I read the news, which probably means I officially spend too much time on the internet. I never really expected to see Breen again in-game, but I do like the ambiguity about what really happened to him. One thing’s for sure: replacing the voice actor would seriously change the feel of the games. Culp was just so good at that magnificent bastard thing.

  14. RichVR says:

    The “joke”, wherever you got it from, was in poor taste.

    1. MichaelG says:

      Do you think that if I told Valve I have a terminal disease, they’d release Episode 3 before I die?

  15. squishydish says:

    I can still sing all the words to the first verse of GAH from memory.

  16. Another Scott says:

    I suppose this may curb the “bring me back” jokes.

  17. Someone says:

    Rest in peace Robert Culp.

    A pity. Breen was one of the most interesting villains in videogames.
    The voice acting was great. He had a smooth authoritative tone, but at the same time he sounded somewhat old and tired. His speeches really made me think if he is a villain, a saviour of mankind or just a tragic victim of someone’s big game. Thats a lot more than i can say for other villains.

    His character might come back but he wont be the same unless Valve already recorded all his lines, which is unlikely.

  18. Blackbird71 says:

    Having never played any of the HL2 games, I never knew that Shamus’ late night host had been voiced by Robert Culp.

    However, I too have fond childhood memories of FBI Agent Bill Maxwell from The Greatest American Hero. In fact, when I heard of Mr. Culp’s passing, I began re-watching my DVD set of the series as my own sort of tribute. Of course, he played quite a few more “quality” roles in his career, and I’m sure there’s a number of them that he’d rather be remembered for, but somehow as cheesy as the show was, I felt Robert Culp always managed to add a touch of class.

    Thanks for the memories Robert Culp, rest in peace.

    “If you’re looking for trouble, you’ve just come across the West-Coast distributor.”
    – Bill Maxwell’s opening line, The Greatest Americna Hero: Pilot Episode

    “Happiness is a Warm Pistol” – text of Maxwell’s favorite T-Shirt

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