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Rip Torn dies at 88; 'If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball'

Actor had decades of success

Rip Torn specialized in playing cantankerous authority figures like Artie, the devious, hard-drinking producer of "The Larry Sanders Show" on the HBO series of the same name.

The same roll landed him an Emmy. He also played: Agent Zed, the gruff, world-weary head of the secretive, alien-hunting agents in the early "Men in Black" movies.

In 1984, Torn was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Cross Creek," and was nominated for a Tony for the 1962 Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' play "Sweet Bird of Youth."

But many will remember him for one iconic line from "DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story."

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

Torn died on Tuesday at age 88.


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