T. K. CARTER

(18 December 1956 – 9 January 2026)

Thomas Kent ‘T.K.’ Carter was a versatile character actor whose warmth, comic timing and presence made him a familiar face across film and television for nearly five decades. Carter passed away at his home in Duarte, California at the age of 69. Born in New York City and raised in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley, his love of performance took root early. He found stand-up comedy as a child and appeared in theatre productions during high school, discovering the gift for blending humour with emotional truth that would define his career.

Carter made his screen acting debut in 1976 with a guest appearance on NBC’s Police Woman, followed by roles on hit series such as Good Times and The Jeffersons. On film he is best remembered for playing Nauls, the roller-skating cook in John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic The Thing. Carter’s other film credits include Seems Like Old Times (1980), Southern Comfort (1981), Underground Aces (1981), and Runaway Train (1985). He had a leading role in the gender-bender He’s My Girl (1987) and voiced Monstar Nawt in Space Jam (1996). Among his final appearances on the big screen Carter starred opposite Ben Affleck’s alcoholic basketball coach in The Way Back.    

On television, Carter reached a wide audience in the mid-80s as Mike Fulton, the patient and empathetic elementary school teacher on NBC’s Punky Brewster. He later played Mylo Williams on the short-lived Good Morning, Miss Bliss opposite Hayley Mills (the precursor to Saved by the Bell) and continued making numerous guest appearances on television. Beyond acting, Carter was a respected mentor, occasionally serving as an acting and dialogue coach. He worked with Chris Tucker on Rush Hour and coached Michael Jordan on Space Jam.

CHAD KENNERK