Brian Dennehy — the veteran actor whose career spanned 5 decades on the stage and screen — has died … TMZ has learned.
Law enforcement sources tell us Dennehy died Wednesday night in Connecticut … we’re told he passed of natural causes and there will not be an official autopsy.
The actor’s career began in the ’70s with a run of small guest roles on TV shows like “Kojak,” “M*A*S*H,” “Lou Grant” and “Dallas” … before landing a recurring role on “Dynasty” in 1981. That led to his big breakout movie role the following year — playing Sheriff Teasle in Sylvester Stallone‘s Rambo action flick, “First Blood.”