Michael Mantenuto, best known for his role in Disney’s 2004 drama Miracle, has died. He was 35.
HuffPo reports was found in his car by police after reportedly sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound yesterday afternoon in Des Moines, Washington.
Mantenuto, a former University of Maine hockey player, got his big break playing the real-life figure Jack O’Callahan in “Miracle,” which depicts the events surrounding 1980 Winter Olympics. O’Callahan was part of the winning American hockey team that unexpectedly bested the Soviet Union in a game that became known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
He went on to appear in the 2006 TV movie Dirtbags and 2008’s Surfer, Dude. He then later left Hollywood to enlist in the Army.
Says Col. Guillaume “Will” Beaurpere of the U.S. Army’s 1st Special Forces Group in a news release:
“Those of you that knew Mike will remember him for his passionate love for his family and his commitment to the health of the force,” he said.
Mantenuto is survived by his wife and his two children.
If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, call The National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255
