Horror Actor Richard Lynch Dies, Aged 76

US actor Richard Lynch, a horror movie staple who employed his scarred face to play villainous characters, has died in Palm Springs, California aged 76.

The ex-Marine’s films included 1973’s Scarecrow, 1988’s Little Nikita and Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake of Halloween.

“Richard was great to work with and really gave it his all,” the director wrote on his Facebook page.

Lynch’s face was permanently scarred in 1967 when he took LSD and set himself on fire in New York’s Central Park.

Born in New York in 1936, Lynch was a member of the famous Actors Studio and worked extensively on the stage.

He also appeared in numerous sci-fi TV series, among them Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

Lynch’s last role was in Zombie’s upcoming film The Lords of Salem, due to be released later this year.

His body was discovered by a friend on Tuesday who had stopped by his house after not hearing from him in days.