Scott L. Schwartz, who has died at the age of 65, liked to bill himself as “Hollywood’s Ultimate Bad Guy” — though that was decidedly all promo material that he learned from his pro wrestling days.
Instead, tributes are flowing in for a truly nice guy.
Long-time friend and fellow actor Rick Zahn shared the news on Facebook on November 26:
Today the world lost a good man. The acting community lost a terrific actor. The law enforcement community in Los Angeles lost a good ambassador and community spokesperson. The breast cancer community lost a staunch supporter. A woman lost a devoted husband. And I lost a dear friend, Scott Schwartz.
At 6’10”, Scott was one of the rare few I looked up to. But it wasn’t just because he was actually taller. It was because of his heart. He lived life with passion. And he adored his wife, Misty.
Scott has battled ill health these past couple of years. But with Misty at his side, Scott peacefully transitioned. The suffering is over.
Please join me in extending sincere condolences to Misty and Scott’s family. This one hurts. And while Thursday is going to be tougher this time, I am still grateful that this big-hearted lug touched my life. Thanks, Scott, for giving me one more reason to understand the meaning of HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Schwartz, born March 16, 1959, in Philadelphia, he attended George Washington High School, where he played football and baseball, and, would tower over others on skates while playing hockey — after all, he grew into a 6-foot-10, 300-pound giant. He would often credit “kugel and matzo ball soup” for his growth, while acknowledging his Jewish roots. After graduating high school in 1977, he attended Temple University, but then switched it all up, and sought out Killer Kowalski to train as a professional wrestler.
Killer Kowalski and Scott L. Schwartz as Giant David.
He debuted in 1979 as Giant David.
Kowalski ran shows around the northeast, including many of his trainees such as Kevin Hughes, Jeff Costa, Tony Ulysses, Chris Grant, Jethro Chambers, Mike Madison, Dan Petty, and Richard Byrne.
Wrestling helped Schwartz travel, including trips to Europe and South Africa.
“For the pro wrestling and acting community. I just saw that former wrestler Scott Schwartz who wrestled as The Giant David many years ago has passed,” posted former referee Sal Corrente to Facebook. “Scott has been an actor in LA for about 30 years. I would run in to him out there at events from time to time. He was an all around [good] guy a Gentleman Giant. We were on shows for Mark Tendler together back in the day. Absolutely a guy gone way too soon. He always seemed to have a big booming smile that went along with his giant size.”
The character Schwartz portrayed changed through time, and he became “The Israeli Commando” Joshua Ben-Gurion.
“The Israeli Commando” Joshua Ben-Gurion
While wrestling on TV in California, he caught the eye of a Hollywood agent.
Acting, as he told SlamWrestling.net’s Dave Hillhouse in this lengthy 2006 interview — Scott L. Schwartz: ‘That guy’ onscreen — was something he fell into. Schwartz had planned to always be a pro wrestler.
After finding representation, Schwartz really never stopped working as an actor or stuntman, and only reluctantly stopped wrestling a few years into his new career.
The “L” stands for Leslie, but he used it professionally to differentiate himself from actor Scott Schwartz, who was in A Christmas Story, and another adult film star. He did attend a Michael Shurtleff workshop to improve his acting.
Two Scott L Schwartz publicity shots
For all the mainstream movie appearances, like Fun With Dick And Jane, Ocean’s Twelve, Spider-Man, Flintstones 2-Rock Vegas and Rocky and Bullwinkle, there were appearances in industrial videos for companies such as Grease Monkey and Exxon, and even print ads, like Micro Computers. You can see Schwartz — he was hard to miss — in music videos too, like Ozzy Osbourne’s “Coming Home” and Heart’s “What About Love”.
Oh, there was TV too. He was an Orion guard on Star Trek: Enterprise and Alpha Hirogen on Star Trek: Voyager, a demon on Charmed, and returned for multiple episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel, Nash Bridges, and The Tick. One-offs, like popping up for a skit on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno only helped his career.
He was a lead in the 2009 movie Lost in the Woods with Michael Madsen.
He wrote, directed and produced the 2010 movie Changing Hands, starring Eddie Jemison, David ‘Shark’ Fralick and Erika Eleniak; he made sure to find a role for his good friend and acting/wrestling mentor Jack “Wildman” Armstrong.
Scott L Schwartz’s old website introductory image.
When Schwartz was invited to various movie fan fests, he had a dual role, and often had promo shots from his wrestling days too.
“There’s nothing more gratifying as an actor than to be able to meet people who watch your programming and give you commentary on it,” Schwartz told the Knoxville newspaper after a 2005 fan fest appearance.
It was not a one-off comment. In 2008, he said something similar to a McKinney, Texas, newspaper: “A lot of people go on TV or on film or whatever they do and never have an opportunity to meet people who have seen their work and enjoy their work,” Schwartz said. “It’s really cool to be able to sit down and hear what they enjoyed about certain parts or what they liked. It’s kind of a cool thing both ways because it’s really great to meet fans.”
Meeting the public was not confined to paid appearances for Schwartz.
He was involved in numerous charities, and was happy to lend a hand, including the Special Olympics Santa Clarita Valley. He made a point to visit children’s hospitals worldwide. Cancer charities were especially dear to him, since his sister died from the disease in 1998. For a time, he was an Ambassador for Outnumber Hunger, and served on the board of Santa’s Gift, and Reading, Writing, It’s Exciting.
Schwartz’s humanitarian works were acknowledged through the years, including the 2012 CHOC Glass Slipper Award. The Atlantic City Cinefest presented him with its Lifesaver Achievement Award in 2016, and the Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. Schwartz received the Cauliflower Alley Club’s Reel Award in 2006.
Scott L. Schwartz and his wife Misty at the Fantasy of Trees 2013 – Building of the Hollywood Tree. Facebook photo
Scott L. Schwartz is survived by his wife, Misty — listed as “Owner and CEO at Schwartz Entertainment Media Group” on her Facebook page — and a daughter, Angela. Further information is not known at this time.
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