‘The X-Files’ and ‘Smallville’ actor Michael Kopsa dead at 66
NEW YORK — Michael Kopsa was the star of the Showtime series “The X-Files,” a series that took on the world of UFOs and their mysterious government cover stories.
His longtime friend and colleague said Wednesday that Kopsa died Wednesday in Los Angeles while undergoing cancer treatment.
“Mike died this morning. He had been diagnosed with cancer and he underwent successful successful treatment. He was surrounded by loved ones,” David Milch, President of Milch Entertainment and creator of the hit cable drama “The X-Files,” said in a statement.
“He was not only an incredibly talented actor, but a gentle, kind and caring man, and we will sorely miss him,” Milch said.
Kopsa, a New York native, had a career spanning seven decades as an actor, writer, director and producer. He appeared in two of Woody Allen’s films, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Manhattan,” and his acting credits include “Grapes of Wrath,” “An Officer and a Spy,” “Lonesome Dove” and “The Godfather Part II.”
In 1965, he guest-starred as FBI undercover agent Ray Langdon on the CBS show “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.”
Born in Brooklyn on Jan. 10, 1942, he began acting at the age of 5 and moved on to a busy career as a child actor. The New York Times said he earned his first acting job, at the age of 5, in the 1938 movie “The Big Clock” with Fred and Ethel Barrymore and Walter Pidgeon.
But Kopsa never grew into the child star, as he didn’t turn four until 1947.
Kopsa continued to act up through his early teens. He played “The Little Engine That Could�
