Quentin Tarantino Says Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ Character Rick Dalton Has Died

Fans of Quentin Tarantino‘s films know that Leonardo DiCaprio‘s character Rick Dalton from Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is based on a fictional actor who rose to fame for playing Jake Cahill on the popular faux Western series Bounty Law.

According to Tarantino, the character died in the filmmaker’s theatrical universe yesterday (May 19) at the age of 90.

The official Twitter account for Tarantino and Roger Avary’s Video Archives Podcast announced the news, adding that Rick passed away peacefully in his home in Hawaii.

We are saddened by the news of the passing of actor Rick Dalton, best known for his roles in the hit TV series Bounty Law and The Fireman trilogy.

Rick passed away peacefully in his home in Hawaii and is survived by his wife Francesca.

RIP Rick Dalton 1933-2023 pic.twitter.com/j51sNEh7AP

— The Video Archives Podcast (@VideoArchives) May 19, 2023

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood followed Dalton during a transitional period in his career, when he was reduced to playing TV guest spots as a “heavy” that the heroic main characters could defeat. Throughout the movie, he spent most of his time with his loyal best friend and longtime stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).

He eventually moved to Rome for six months to make Spaghetti Westerns and spy movies, becoming a major Italian movie star. There he met his wife Francesca who eventually moved with him back home to Los Angeles.

There are countless details that Tarantino has shared about Dalton’s intricate backstory, so it’s not surprising that he knew when he was ready to retire the character.

As stated in the announcement: Dalton is survived by his wife, Francesca. There is no word on the status of Cliff Booth.