Brad William Henke was a former player on the pro football team who went on to become a prolific actor. Henke has now passed away. He was 56.
Matt DelPiano (his manager) confirmed that Henke passed away in his sleep on November 29, but did not provide any details.
Brad was an extraordinarily kind man with a lot of joy. He was a very talented actor. We loved him back. DelPiano stated that our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Henke was most known for his role as Desi Piscatella (gay corrections officer) in the Netflix movie “Orange Is the New Black”. This made him a sex symbol within the bear community, which is a section of the gay community that prefers a bigger and more hairy man.
Henke was open to the recognition, telling 2016: “I mean I feel honored. It feels amazing. It is a wonderful compliment. They would love for people to find them attractive. Piscatella may be a negative character in certain ways, but I have heard that people like the fact he is real.”
Henke was born and raised in Littleton Colorado. Henke played college ball at the University of Arizona. He was drafted in 1989 by the New York Giants. He went on to play as a defensive lineman for the Denver Broncos. He also participated in the 1990 Super Bowl XXIV versus the San Francisco 49ers.
Due to ankle injuries, he quit the league in 1994 and moved to Los Angeles in order to coach. But, he found a new career in acting.
His journey began when a friend who was a professional football player alerted him of a commercial casting that needed actors to portray footballers.
Looper said that he booked the first commercial for which he went out. “It was for Hungry Hunter. This was a booking I made and I took the photos. It took about half a year. “Oh, that’s easy,” I thought. But, as I was walking in, the older man I had seen at my callback greeted me. So I assume they had hired us both for a backup in case I fell and burned. I was so ignorant.
Henke stated that “I kinda regret not starting to act sooner,” back in 1998, to The Tucson Citizen. “But my life experiences prior to finding my calling really helped me. I am building my career on my own merits and not because of what I did on a football field.