Randal Malone, who showed up in dozens of low-budget movies and played a “film star” on the 1990s MTV dating game show Singled Out, has died. He was 66.
Malone died Sunday at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys after a long battle with kidney disease, his family announced.
Since 2004, Malone served as president of the Southern California Motion Picture Council, a charitable organization that was founded in 1936 and remains one of the longest-running groups of its kind.
While signing autographs to promote Sunset After Dark (1996), in which he appeared alongside former child star Margaret O’Brien and onetime silent-film star Anita Page, Malone was spotted by producer Keven Undergaro.
He was then hired for Singled Out, which counted among its hosts Chris Hardwick, Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra. He portrayed various characters during the show’s three seasons, including “Film Star Randal Malone”; he wore gloves and used a cigarette holder as a male version of Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard.
Following the show’s cancellation in 1998, he hosted segments for the Game Show Network.
Malone was born on May 29, 1958, in Owensboro, Kentucky. As a child, he got interested in show business when his father, a micro-midget car racer, introduced him to Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline and other performers who were visiting the racetrack.
At 13, he had an uncredited role in The Marshall of Windy Hollow (1972), a film that starred veteran Hollywood cowboys Ken Maynard and Tex Ritter but was never released.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in theater from Murray State University, Malone made his Los Angeles stage debut in a production of Annie Get Your Gun in Glendale. He was honored as the “Most Promising Actor in Hollywood” by the Southern California Motion Picture Council and presented with the award by Bob Hope.
Known for his over-the-top personality, Malone appeared in more than 50 films — many horror, many going straight to video — including The Triggerman (1997), Vampire Femmes (1999), Hollywood Mortuary (2000), The Crawling Brain (2002), Creepies 2 (2006), Psychon Invaders (2006), Dahmer vs. Gacy (2010), Frankenstein Rising (2010) and Rat Scratch Fever (2011).
Over the years, he developed close friendships with many actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age, among them O’Brien, Page, Rose Marie and Jerry Maren. He played backgammon with Lucille Ball, served as a pallbearer at Ann Miller’s funeral and delivered a keynote speech at Ginger Rogers’ funeral.
He also was active in philanthropic pursuits, such as assisting the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills.
Survivors include his mother, Shirley; brothers Donald and James; sister Allison; and his partner of 38 years, Michael Schwibs. A memorial service is being scheduled.
