GOOD Time star Buddy Duress having such an unfortunate demise at a young age has probably not come as a surprise to some.
Flinch director Cameron Van Hoy theorized that Buddy’s life choices were leading him down the wrong path.
Cameron, 38, opened up during an interview in 2019 about the difficulties of working with Buddy on Flinch amid the then-33-year-old’s legal troubles.
At the time, Buddy was in-and-out of jail, and Cameron was focused on keeping him out so the rising star could finish his movie; however, it was to no avail.
The Tragedy Girls producer paid part of his bail, in tandem with Buddy’s mom, Jo-Anne Duress, and got him out of jail in August 2019.
Buddy was arrested for threatening to burn his mom’s house down.
Shortly after Buddy was freed, he was arrested again and sent back to Rikers Island in New York “on charges of menacing and criminal possession of brass knuckles.”
Along with having a “controlled substance,” The New York Post reported in August 2019.
Cameron had a mouthful to say about Buddy’s reincarceration that year.
“I want to think Buddy will get sober and focus on acting. But there is a chance he will end up dead or hustling on the streets,” he predicted.
FINAL CURTAIN CALL
Buddy tragically passed away at the age of 38 in February 2024.
On February 26, 2024, both his brother Christopher and his colleague and friend Jay Karales confirmed his tragic death to The U.S. Sun.
According to Christopher, Buddy died just before Thanksgiving in November 2023.
Karales, a director, shared a tribute for the late actor on social media.
Good Time actor Buddy Duress is dead at 38 as director friend mourns tragic star’s ‘amazing talent’
“This man was an absolute treasure. Without a doubt, Buddy Duress was one of the most entertaining people I’ve ever met and his stories were unrivaled,” he wrote on X.
“I remember seeing him in Good Time in 2017 and saying, ‘That is what the future of acting needs to be. That guy,'” he continued.
“He brought a certain authenticity and charisma to the screen that you just don’t see anymore.
“It was a dream to get him in Mass State Lottery, and I feel privileged to have been his director and his friend.”
BUDDY’S BEST FLICKS
Buddy was an actor with a years-long career in the entertainment industry.
According to his IMDb profile, he was known for Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), Person to Person (2017), and Beware of Dog (2020).
He was also featured in The Mountain (2018), The Great Darkened Days (2018), PVT Chat (2020), Flinch (2021), and Funny Pages (2022).
Additionally, he also starred in the upcoming movie, Mass State Lottery, and the upcoming short, Skull.
According to the New York Post, he hailed from Queens, New York, and went to Robert Louis Stevenson High School in Manhattan.
In August 2019, the outlet reported that Buddy faced legal issues for years and was in and out of Rikers jail, which affected his budding acting career.
A source told the publication that comedian Pete Davidson inquired about Buddy auditioning for his Untitled Judd Apatow – Pete Davidson Comedy directed by Apatow after being impressed by his performance in the movie The Mountain.
