T.K. Carter of 'The Thing' & 'Space Jam' Dies at 69
The actor was found dead in his home
January 10, 2026
T.K. Carter, a familiar face on TV and in films for 50 years, was found dead in his Duarte, California, home on Friday.
He was just 69.
Carter last worked on TV in The Company You Keep in 2023, but was fondly remembered as the cook, Nauls, in the John Carpenter sci-fi classic The Thing (1982). The film bombed upon release, but the home video market (and now streaming) have led it to acquire a huge cult following and to receive a well-deserved critical reassessment.
Carter was a regular on many short-lived series, but on TV is probably best known for his stint as Mike on Punky Brewster (1985-1986).
Carter made his debut on TV on Police Woman (1976), and racked up many episodic credits, including on Good Times (1977 & 1978), The Waltons (1977 & 1978), The Jeffersons (1978), The Nanny (1998) and How to Get Away with Murder (2016).
Among his other noteworthy films, he was in Corvette Summer (1978) with Mark Hamill and Annie Potts, Runaway Train (1985) with Jon Voight and A Rage in Harlem (1991), plus voiced Monstar NAWT in the 1996 family fave Space Jam.⚡️