U.S. actor Randy Quaid alleges there’s a conspiracy to kill him and several other Hollywood stars in order to gain control of their millions of dollars.
In a bizarre speech Thursday to reporters outside the Vancouver immigration office where he’s attempting to gain permission to live in Canada, Quaid said he and his wife, Evi, aren’t criminals, fugitives from justice or crazy.
For the last 20 years, he and his wife have been the victims of criminal activities by people who are out to destroy them personally, professionally and financially, Quaid said.
He became emotional as he told reporters that in the last five years, eight actors he’s known have died at the hands of so-called star whackers.
He cited the deaths of Heath Ledger and David Carradine as examples.
“I believe these actors were whacked, and I believe many others, such as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson, are being played to get at their money,” Quaid told a crush of reporters Thursday.
He said about $40 million of his earnings have been stolen from him.
“I am being embezzled by this monstrous ring of accountants, estate planners and lawyers who are mercilessly slandering me and trying to kill my career and, I believe, murder me in order to gain control of my royalties.”
Hearing postponed
Ledger died in January 2008 from a reported accidental drug overdose and Carradine apparently hanged himself in a Bangkok hotel room in June 2009. Neither death was deemed suspicious.
Quaid’s hearing before an Immigration and Refugee Board — scheduled for Thursday — was postponed until Nov. 8, his lawyer said.
The Quaids face felony burglary charges and misdemeanour counts in the U.S. for allegedly moving back into and vandalizing a home they once owned in Santa Barbara, Calif. Both are wanted on $500,000 bench warrants issued in Santa Barbara.
Randy Quaid, the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid, was nominated for an Oscar as best actor in a supporting role for the 1973 film, The Last Detail. He won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years, but he’s perhaps best known for his roles in the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies as well as Brokeback Mountain and Independence Day.
The lawyer for the Quaids revealed Wednesday that Evi Quaid is qualified for Canadian citizenship because her father was born in Canada.
The finding makes her application for refugee status moot, the lawyer said, because she can already live and work in this country.
Randy Quaid’s application for refugee status is proceeding, the lawyer said.
