Beloved Hollywood star Charles Cioffi, who made TV history in his role as Section Chief Blevins, the man who assigned Scully (played by Gillian Anderson) to Mulder (David Duchovny) in sci-fi phenomenon The X-Files, died on Friday May 22 at the age of 90. His family confirmed the news revealing he died of natural causes at his home in Marina del Rey, California.

In his X-Files role he created one of the most memorable TV partnerships in history, however there was far more to his over four decade career which spanned movies and Broadway as well as the small screen. He began his career on stage in the early 1960s. By 1969 he had secured his first TV role in the CBS soap Where the Heart Is, and just two years later in 1971 he would make his memorable big screen debut in Klute opposite Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland. The thriller saw him unveiled as the killer at the end of the movie before dying by suicide in a dramatic plunge from a skyscraper.

One of his first signature roles came in 1971's Shaft in which he played Lt. Vic Androzzi. He also had a memorable turns as Tom Cruise’s dad in 1983's All the Right Moves.

He made his first Broadway appearance in a 1968 production of King Lear starring Lee J. Cobb. His final Broadway credit saw hhi star opposite Al Pacino in the 1992 two-hander Chinese Coffee.

Alongside The X-Files he had roles in some of the most iconic shows to grace TV screens including Kojak, Frasier, Wings, The X-Files, Thirtysomething, NYPD Blue, Hawaii Five-O, Bonanza, and The A-Team.

Tributes flooded in for the star as fans learned the tragic news. Taking to Facebook one wrote: "A great actor, born in New York on Halloween, who portrayed one of the more detestable characters on Kojak, a mobster who has a jealous temper and beats up an undercover female federal agent. Who didn't enjoy watching him go toe to toe with Kojak. Rest in peace Charles."

Another added: "I remember actor Charles Cioffi. He appeared in movies including Klute and Shaft, The Don Is Dead also Crazy Joe. Time After Time. Charles Cioffi a good actor 1935 - 2026 RIP."

A third chimed in: "Rest In Peace Charles Cioffi aka Lt. Vic Androzzi. Shaft and Androzzi together again." A fourth penned: "Awwwww I liked everything this actor did...great roles."

A fifth shared: "Great actor. Rest Peacefully. He had a very prolific career. He was Lt. Vic Androzzi in Shaft, he was a shadowy government official in X Files. A broad career."

Meanwhile a sixth gushed: "A great actor who was always distinctive in countless movies and TV shows, with Klute and Shaft among the credits that established him ... but for me, his high point was as Tom Cruise's steelworker father in "All the Right Moves." That performance was largely about being reactive, and he was superb. Rest in peace, #CharlesCioffi."