Aliens Actor and Vietnam War Veteran Al Matthews Found Dead in Spain at 75

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Al Matthews, the actor who portrayed Sergeant Apone inAliens, was found dead in his home in Spain. He was 75.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Nov. 21, 1942. Matthews was based in the United Kingdom and retired to Spain in 2005, according toEl Pais. His film roles extended toSuperman III, The Fifth ElementandTomorrow Never Dies.

In the 1970s, Matthews moved to Europe where he would begin a career in radio and television in France. In 1975, he released his first hit single “Fool,” which was a top ten hit in over 15 European countries, his page states.

He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sgt. Apone, and returned to the character in 2013 to voice him for the video gameAliens: Colonial Marines.

George Wilkes/Hulton Archive/Getty

In the film, Matthews’ Apone wakes up the crew of the USS Sulaco from their deep sleep and shouts instructions to his crew.

“All right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps. A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal’s a banquet. Every paycheck a fortune. Every formation a parade. I LOVE the Corps!” Apone said.

In 2006, Matthews said inan interviewit took James Cameron (the director of the film) “30 seconds” to hire him.

“I was the only person in the movie not pretending to be a Marine, in fact I taught the other actors how to look and act,” he said. “Mr. Cameron was pleased with my input, in fact he said to me, he had no idea I was that good, had he known, my part would have been bigger.”

source: people.com