Jonathan Haze, who played Seymour in 'The Little Shop of Horrors,' dies at 95: Reports
Actor Jonathan Haze, best known for his role as Seymour Krelborn in the original "Little Shop of Horrors," has died, according to reports. He was 95.
Haze died at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, Haze's daughter Rebecca confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. A cause of death was not given.
Representatives for Haze were unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
Born Jack Schachter in April 1929, Haze made his cinematic debut at age 25, playing the role of Joe in the 1954 horror comedy "Monster from the Ocean Floor."
Following smaller roles in "The Fast and the Furious" and "East of Eden," Haze landed the role of Billy Candy in the Roger Corman-directed Western "Five Guns West" in 1955. That would mark the beginning of a fruitful partnership with Corman, as Haze went on to star in nearly 20 of his films.
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Haze and Corman's most memorable collaboration is the 1960 dark comedy "The Little Shop of Horrors." Haze's character Krelborn, an employee at an impoverished florist shop, finds himself at the center of a murderous enterprise when the strange plant he's been growing requires blood for nourishment.
The film, which co-starred Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles and Jack Nicholson, grew a cult following over the years and spawned several adaptations. An off-Broadway rock musical by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman debuted in 1982, and a film version – directed by Frank Oz and starring Rick Moranis – followed in 1986.
An animated children's series based on the film, titled "Little Shop," ran for one season on Fox Kids in 1991.
Haze worked with Corman again on 1963's "The Terror," a supernatural horror co-directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Haze's "Little Shop" co-star Nicholson.
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Haze's final role was in the 2010 mystery film "Nobody Smiling."