Orange Is The New Black actor Brad William Henke passed away

Brad William Henke, former NFL player and most well-known for his portrayal of prison guard Desi Piscatella in Orange Is The New Black, has passed away. The actor passed away last Tuesday, but no cause was given. Various media have reported that Henke passed in his sleep.



Brad William Henke (photo) appeared in Netflix's Orange Is The New Black as Desi Piscatella, a gay prison guard in Litchfield Penitentiary and the main antagonist in the fourth and fifth seasons. He shared a SAG Award for excellent achievements in an ensemble in a comedy series in 2017.

He had one lead role in the series Going to California, which only had one season. Henke also had recurring roles in Justified, Lost, October Road, and Dexter.

Born on April 10, 1966, in Columbus, NE, and raised in Littleton, CO, Henke played college football at the University of Arizona, where he was team captain. In 1990, he was part of the defense line of the Denver Broncos whilst playing against the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl XXIV.

After injuries forced him to retire from professional football in 1994, he started a career as an actor and had guest roles in series such as Chicago Hope, Silk Talkings, Nash Bridges, ER, and The Pretender.

Later, he could be seen in Judging Amy, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Criminal Minds, Grimm, The Chicago Code, Bones, Longmire, The Bridge, Sneaky Pete, Manhunt: Deadly Games, and The Stand (2020). His final television role was in 2021, he was part of an episode of Law & Order: SVU.

Brad William Henke was 56 years old.