David Emge died Saturday at the age of 77, according to his obituary.
Emge, best known for playing Stephen in the 1978 cult hit “Dawn of the Dead,” died at the West River Health campus in Evansville, Indiana. Obituary Said. His specific cause of death has not been disclosed to the public.
Before he began his career as an actor, Mge bravely served in the Vietnam War, according to his obituary. His artistic journey began at the Pittsburgh Playhouse and eventually led him to New York City. He was working as a chef when Dawn of the Dead director George Romero recognized his potential and cast him in a horror film.
The late David Emge played a doomed helicopter pilot in George Romero's classic horror film Dawn of the Dead. https://t.co/xCyHIcHQzi
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 22, 2024
This movie brought Muge into the limelight, Entertainment Weekly I got it.. Mge's character expertly navigates the zombie apocalypse, along with co-stars Galen Ross, Ken Foree, and Scott Reiniger. The group takes refuge in a shopping mall, creating a microcosm of society in chaos. The film, known for its combination of horror and satire, was shot in and around a shopping mall in Pittsburgh. (Related: Legendary actor Philip Baker Hall dies at age 90)
“I loved that movie,” Emge said in a 1979 interview with the Burlington Free Press, according to Entertainment Weekly. “It was a nine-week filming schedule, with the exception of two weeks over Christmas, shot outside of Pittsburgh. A cold and spooky show…half of it was filmed inside a shopping mall. We shot from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. I worked there until then and ran the place freely.”
Besides “Dawn of the Dead,” Mge appeared in films such as the 1976 comedy “Booby Hutch” and the 1990 sequel “Basket Case 2.” However, according to Entertainment Weekly, Stephen remains his most iconic role, influencing generations of filmmakers and horror fans. Simon Pegg, co-writer and actor of the 2004 horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead, detailed Emge's zombified character in his 2011 memoir Nerd Do Well. was said to have been an early inspiration. according to Go to ScreenRant.
