By Travis Johnson
The actual titular Big Lebowski, character actor David Huddleston, has died of kidney and lung disease at the age of 85.
A formidable screen presence, Huddleston first appeared in 1969’s little-known Slaves alongside Ossie Davis and went on to become a familiar presence in a range of genres on both film and television. To modern audiences he is most recognisable for his turn as the buffoonish, hypocritical millionaire, Jeffrey Lebowski in the Coens’ The Big Lebowski, and as the title role in the 1985 Dudley Moore vehicle, Santa Claus: The Movie. He retired in 2009, with his last roles being the anthology thriller, Locker 13, and a guest spot on the sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.