The Late Tony Todd Changed the Horror Film Genre After Playing 'Candyman' in Chicago's Real Life Housing Projects Cabrini-Green

Tony Todd/Shutterstock

Actor Tony Todd, best known for his iconic role in the horror film Candyman, passed away at 69 last week. The actor's agent, Dede Binder, confirmed the news.

Todd was the first African American to star as a lead horror character. Based on Clive Barker's short story The Forbidden, Todd's immortal character significantly contributed to the horror genre. The Candyman franchise gained a staunch cult following after his performance.

Tony Todd/Candyman/IMDb

Candyman was depicted in Chicago's real-life poverty-stricken and crime-ridden housing project, Cabrini-Green, and was nothing short of superb. Candyman's storyline in the 1992 film was interestingly unique. Before the villain's soul became damned, he was an artist and the son of a slave who was tortured to death by a group of white residents who cut off his hand over his romance with the daughter of an affluent white man. Ironically, his murder took place on the land of Cabrini-Green.

Cabrini-Green/Photo/Chicago History Museum

Once immortal, he haunted and killed Cabrini-Green residents while stalking the main character, Helen, a graduate student he found to be reminiscent of his love interest, whom he had died for in his prior life. Helen and her counterpart were coincidentally researching the legend of Candyman and Cabrini-Green in Chicago when they encountered the immortal serial killer after channeling his spirit.

Candyman & Helen/IMDb

It was ingenious and ironic to make the now demolished Cabrini-Green the setting for the movie. While Cabrini-Green was portrayed in its normal dreadful light, residents feared the legend of Candyman more than the everyday dangers of gang life, crime, and violence in the projects. Time said, "Long before a man with a bloody hook tormented the alleys of Cabrini-Green in the 1992 film Candyman, the Chicago housing projects were understood by many to be a place of horror." Cabrini-Green had a long-standing reputation for being a dangerous locale, a place that sometimes law enforcement didn't dispatch to.

Todd also starred in Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh and  Candyman 3: Day of the Dead. Director Nia DaCosta remade Candyman in 2021, to which Todd had a cameo.

The Hollywood star had a healthy Hollywood career, where he also worked as a notable voice actor. According to multiple media outlets, the actor died after battling cancer. His wife, Fatima, told The Hollywood Reporter that he died at his Marine del Rey, California, home following a "long illness."

Todd's fans will have one last chance to watch him on film. He was also a part of the Final Destination franchise, which will reportedly release a 2025 film that will show the 6'5" star's final performance.

Salute, Tony Todd.

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