The Buffy the Vampire Slayer family sadly lost a member of its family this past week. Veteran actor Camden Toy passed away at the age of 68. Toy was widely regarded for the considerable amount of creature work he did, including his roles on Buffy and spinoff series Angel (which are streamable for Hulu subscribers). Following his death, fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to Toy and to make note of his incredible work. Joining franchise devotees was actor Doug Jones, who notably guest-starred on the supernatural teen drama alongside Toy.
It goes without saying that Buffy fans are incredibly passionate. They don’t mind sharing in joy with one another as well as comforting each other amid sadder moments. Following the death of the series alum (who passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer per THR) fans shared kind thoughts about him and his impeccable performances. One such person to express thoughts was an X user named @madelexne:
A brilliant performer who elevated Buffy to greatness. Thank you, Camden Toy.
The Bedeviled actor’s roles on the former WB/UPN series are legendary at this point. During the course of the show, he helped bring the demon Gnarl as well as the Prince of Lies to life. However, one of his most unsettling alter egos is probably that of one of the demonic Gentlemen, who appeared in the Season 4 episode, “Hush.” While discussing the late actor, @kirstyhannam made mention of his great roles:
Camden Toy played THE scariest Buffy monster - Gnarl. A fantastic physical performer. Huge respect for an actor who can breathe life into creature makeup. He was also one of The Gentlemen, which I reckon are the 2nd most terrifying monsters.
Another user named @dieselkeds also mentioned the passing of this giant within the horror realm. She dropped the following message:
It’s a sad day in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. RIP Camden Toy, a true gentleman 💔
As mentioned, someone who was fortunate enough to be working alongside the performer on that fourth season episode was Doug Jones, a star some may have forgotten was on Buffy. He played a fellow member of the Gentlemen quartet, which is a role that predates Jones’ many great performances in Guillermo del Toro films. The Hocus Pocus cast member took to Instagram to share a tribute for Toy, and his sentiments couldn’t be any sweeter:
This is a tough one. So many memories including working together, decades of laughing, sharing mutual friends, get togethers, travel, conventions, and huggles with each other and our fans. To know Camden Toy was to Love Camden Toy. We may have met on the set of Buffy as two hideous looking ‘Gentlemen,’ but that only sparked a dear friendship that would continue for twenty-four years.It’s rare to find a man so joyful, smiley, smart, talented, giggly, huggie, good at listening with his heart, and accessible always to anyone he knew, including his many fans. May he rest in God’s peace.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast was joined by some seriously talented guest stars over the course of the series’ six-season run, and the late actor was definitely one of them. In addition to his work on the pop culture phenomenon. He also appeared in horror movies like All Souls Day and Carnies and, in terms of non-scary fare, he appeared on The Bay, Shameless and The Mentalist. His death definitely leaves a void within the horror landscape, but what’s most comforting right now is that Doug Jones and so many others are paying tribute to him.
We here at CinemaBlend extend our thoughts to the family and loved ones of Camden Toy during this time.
