From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Anthony Wilford Brimley September 27 1934 August 1 2020 was an American actor and singer After serving in the Marines and taking on a variety of odd jobs he became an extra for Western films and in little more than a decade he had established himself as a character actor in films such as The China Syndrome 1979 The Thing 1982 and The Natural 1984 Brimley was the longtime face of television advertisements for the Quaker Oats Company He also promoted diabetes education and appeared in related commercials for Liberty Medical