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On November 17, Art LaFleur, who portrayed the role of famed baseball player Babe Ruth in The Sandlot series, passed away at 78. LaFleur had Parkinson's disease for 10 years. The news of his demise was shared on Facebook by the late actor's wife, Shelley LaFleur.
She shared a picture of them on Facebook and wrote:
"This guy… After a 10 year battle with A-typical Parkinson's, Art LaFleur, the love of my life passed away...He was a generous and selfless man which carried over to his acting but more importantly it was who he was for his family and friends…"
Shelley LaFleur further added,
"I was so very lucky to have had a 43 year relationship with a man who cherished me and who I adored. Art was larger than life and meant the world to us."
The late 78-year-old actor is survived by his wife Shelley and their son and daughter, Molly and Joe LaFleur.
How much was Art LaFleur worth?
Multiple publications pegged the late character actor's fortune to be around $15 to $20 million. Art LaFleur amassed most of his fortune through his extensive acting career that spanned nearly 40 years. Furthermore, he had also worked as an acting coach and a sportscaster at ESPN and on CBS.
Art was best known for portraying Babe Ruth in 1993's The Sandlot, Chick Gandil in 1989's Field of Dreams and the tooth fairy in 2002's The Santa Clause 2 and 2003's The Santa Clause 3, amongst several others.
He reportedly moved to Los Angeles from Chicago in 1975 at the age of 31. Before pursuing a career in acting at LA, Art LaFleur worked in sales for several years. The Field of Dreams star had also reportedly worked in the saloon and restaurant industry.
According to his IMDb profile, the Chicago-native forayed into acting in the 1978 TV movie, Rescue from Gilligan's Island. Art LaFleur then appeared in episodes of several popular TV series as a one-time character. These shows included Charlie's Angels in 1979, The Incredible Hulk in 1981, The A-Team in 1984, Baywatch in 1997 and many more.
The actor continued appearing in TV series in both one-time and recurring roles until 2015, with his last appearance being in Key and Peele's comedy sketch series. Art LaFleur's last role was in a 2017 TV movie called Dive.
Throughout his career, Art LaFleur has garnered around 169 acting credits. Art was also known to have appeared in multiple short films. In 2009, the late veteran actor was nominated for the "Best Supporting Actor" award for the short film, Guitar Lessons (2009).
