RIP Matt Clark

 

'Back to the Future' Actor Matt Clark Dead

TMZ

March 16, 2026

 

Matt Clark -- whose acting career spanned decades in film and TV working alongside some of Hollywood's biggest stars -- has died.

His family tells TMZ ... Clark -- arguably best known for his bartender role in "Back to the Future: Part III" and the TV sitcom "Grace Under Fire" -- died in his Austin, Texas home Sunday morning from complications after back surgery.

Clark appeared in several Westerns on the big and small screens alongside the likes of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne ... and he appeared in the '80s cult classic "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension."

He also appeared on the series "Grace Under Fire" ... along with classic shows including "Bonanza," Kung Fu," and "Dynasty."

His family tells us ... Clark was an "actor's actor" who loved and respected the job, but was not concerned with stars and fame. He was impressed when working with good people who loved their families. He felt "lucky" about his career ... and "he died the way he lived, on his terms."

He was 89.

RIP

CLARK, Matt

Born: 11/25/1936, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.A.

Died: 3/15/2026, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.

 

Matt Clark’s westerns – actor:

Will Penny – 1967 (Romulus Quint)

Death Valley Days (TV) - 1967 (Montana Joe)

Dundee and the Culhane (TV) 1967 (Smith)

Bonanza (TV) 1969 (Fantan)

Macho Callahan – 1970 (jailer)

Monte Walsh – 1970 (Rufus Brady)

The Cowboys – 1972 (Smiley)

The Culpepper Cattle Co. – 1972 (Pete)

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid – 1972 (Bob Younger)

Jeremiah Johnson – 1972 (Qualen)

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean – 1972 (Nick the Grub)

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid – 1973 (J.W. Bell)

Kung Fu (TV) - 1973 (Niebo)

This Is the West That Was (TV) – 1974 (Buffalo Bill Cody)

Hearts of the West – 1975 (Jackson)

Kid Vengeance – 1975 (Grover)

Little House on the Prairie (TV) 1975, 1979 (Eric Boulton, Seth Berwick)

The Outlaw Josey Wales – 1976 (Kelly)

Lacy and the Mississippi Queen (TV) – 1978 (Reynolds)

The Last Ride of the Dalton Gang – 1979 (George 'Bitter Creek' Newcomb)

The Legend of the Lone Ranger – 1981 (Sheriff Wiatt)

Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues (TV) – 1987 (Sergeant Grinder)

The Quick and the Dead – 1987 (Doc Shabitt)

Back to the Future Part III – 1990 (bartender)

Lonesome Dove: The Series (TV) 1995 (Reverend Bantry)

Walker, Texas Ranger (TV) – 1996, 2001 (Cooper's Friend, Hank Cotton)

South of Heaven, West of Hell – 2000 (Burl Dunfries)

A Million Ways to Die in the West – 2014 (old prospector)