Hugh Dane, Hank the Security Guard on ‘The Office,’ Dies at 75

By Christi Carras

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Hugh Dane, who played no-nonsense security guard Hank on “The Office,” has died. He was 75.

The actor portrayed characters in memorable films and series such as “,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and “Bridesmaids,” for nearly 30 years. The Inner City Cultural Center posted a notice of his death on Facebook .

Dane originally broke into acting in the late 1980s with a role in the video game “It Came From the Desert,” but his first television part as the Father in “Hunter” followed soon after, setting into motion a career’s worth of TV acting. While Dunder Mifflin’s Hank was Dane’s most longstanding role, he also played two characters in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and recurred as Fred in the Emmy-nominated ’90s series “Roc.”

In the film realm, Dane lent his talents to comedies like “Little Fockers” and “Bridesmaids.” Some of his other acting credits include stints on “Friends,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Monk,” “Boy Meets World,” “The West Wing,” and most recently, “The Mayor,” starring Brandon Micheal Hall and Lea Michele.

He was also active in theater productions.

Fellow “The Office” alumnus Rainn Wilson paid tribute to Dane on Twitter, where he provided a donation link to the Inner City Cultural Center along with a clip of an exchange between their characters on the show.

“RIP Hugh Dane, aka Hank the security guard,” Wilson wrote. “He was one of the greats. So kind, funny, talented. We will all miss him. Donations can be made in his name to: innercityculturalcenter.org.”