Brad William Henke, 'Orange Is The New Black' Actor, Dead At 56

LITTLETON, CO — Brad William Henke, a former football player and veteran character actor who was raised in Littleton before making it to the NFL and appearing on "Orange Is the New Black," has passed away, his manager confirmed. He was 56.

"Brad Henke was an incredibly kind man of joyous energy. A very talented actor, he loved being a part of this community....and we loved him back," his manager, Matt DelPiano, wrote in a statement shared on Instagram. "Our thoughts are with his wife and family."

Henke, who was born in Columbus, Nebraska, "died peacefully in his sleep" on November 29, his agent Sheree Cohen, told CNN.

Before he broke into acting, Henke played defensive line at the University of Arizona, and was drafted by the New York Giants in 1989. After being cut from the Giants, he played for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.

According to a biography provided by IMDb, after suffering from multiple injuries, Henke retired from professional football in 1994 and moved to Los Angeles, where he forged a new career as an actor.

Among roles in dozens of other films and television shows, Henke became best known for playing Desi Piscatella, a gay corrections officer on the hit Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black." His performance earned him a SAG Award for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series.