Albert Popwell (July 15, 1926 – April 9, 1999) was an American stage, television and film actor with a career spanning six decades. Born in New York City, Popwell started as a professional dancer before taking up a career in acting. Popwell made his professional debut on Broadway at age 16 in The Pirate.

Career

Popwell was featured on many television series, but is perhaps best known for his appearances in films opposite Clint Eastwood, with whom he appeared in five films, beginning with Coogan's Bluff (1968) and in the first four Dirty Harry films, playing a different character in each film. Popwell was the wounded bank robber at the receiving end of Eastwood's iconic "Do I feel lucky?" monologue from Dirty Harry (1971). He was a murderous pimp in Magnum Force (1973), appeared as militant Big Ed Mustapha in The Enforcer (1976) and as Harry's detective colleague Horace King in Sudden Impact (1983). In 1988, Popwell was offered a role in The Dead Pool, the last film in the series, but could not appear due to a scheduling conflict. Popwell's final film role was with Sharon Stone in Scissors (1991).

Death

He died at age 72 in 1999, from complications following open heart surgery.

Selected filmography