LEGENDARY actor Jack Betts, known for his roles in Friends and Spider-Man, has died aged 96.
The Hollywood star died in his sleep at his home in Los Osos, California, on Thursday.
Betts befriended Everybody Loves Raymond star Doris Roberts and shared a home with her.
Born in Miami, Florida, in 1929, the legend first began his career on Broadway, in an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Richard III.
He then went on to an incredibly successful career, playing various characters across TV shows and movies.
Betts had a cameo in the Batman Forever movie in 1995 and Batman & Robin two years later.
He also made appearances in shows like Seinfield, Frasier, Friends and Power Rangers.
In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Betts’ character played a key role in telling Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn that he’s done at Oscorp Technologies – delivering the iconic line: “You’re out, Norman.”
After appearing as Hunt Powers across the Italian Spaghetti Western films, his career rocketed.
The legend had bluffed his way into the 1966 Franco Giraldi’s Sugar Coat starring role and he held it for 12 consecutive films – ending in 1972.
Speaking to the Dev Show in 2021, he said: “In the hotel next to mine was Clint Eastwood.
“He’d go up to his mountain and do his Western and I’d go up to my mountain and do my Western.
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“But while his films had distribution all over the world, my films were distributed [everywhere] except Canada and America.”
Betts then went back to Broadway and starred as Dracula between 1977 to 1980.
Several years later, Betts began to appear in TV shows like One Life to Live where he played the character Dr Ivan Kiping.
A few years after that, Betts accepted the invitation from Doris Roberts to move from New York into an apartment in her Hollywood Hills.
After Roberts tragically passed in 2016, Betts said they were “best friends to the very end” and had “wonderful times together”.
Tributes have been pouring in for the late star.
One said on social media: “Well shoot, another Hollywood gunslinger rides into the sunset.
“Jack Betts was one of those actors who could make even a B-movie feel like an A-list production.”
And: “RIP to a legend. Jack Betts brought so much to the screen – from gritty westerns to comic book charm.”
