India, July 1 -- Tom Ligon, the actor best remembered for playing backup catcher Piney Woods in the acclaimed 1973 baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly, has died at the age of 85. The news was confirmed by SAG-AFTRA New York Local, which remembered him as a respected actor and a longtime advocate for senior performers.

While tributes have poured in from colleagues and fans, many are revisiting the remarkable career of an actor whose work quietly spanned more than five decades.

Who Was Tom Ligon?

Born Thomas Bryant Ligon on September 10, 1940, in New Orleans, Ligon grew up in a military family. His father served as a US Army colonel before joining the Defence Department.

After attending St Albans School in Washington, DC, Ligon studied ...