G.D. Spradlin was so accomplished at playing nasty jerks in the movies, I thought he was one. He wasn't. A veteran of WWII, he was an accomplished lawyer and businessman, rich beyond his wildest dreams, before becoming an actor on a whim. He was a supporter of JFK in 1960 and soon thereafter ran for mayor of Oklahoma City. He lost. His loss was the silver screen's gain.

His obit is here.

Best known for his role as the arrogant corrupt Sen. Pat Geary in The Godfather Part II, he was typecast long before that.