Ned Beatty, actor of ‘Superman’ and ‘Deliverance’, dies at 83

(CNN) – Ned Beatty, an Oscar-nominated actor who appeared in such films as “Deliverance” and “Superman,” has died at the age of 83.

“Ned passed away of natural causes Sunday morning, surrounded by family and loved ones,” Deborah Miller, Shelter Entertainment Group talent manager, told CNN in an email.

Ned Beatty’s first film role was in the 1972 film “Deliverance,” as one of four men from Georgia who embark on a harrowing canoe trip. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1976’s “Network,” played the goofy Otis in 1978’s “Superman,” and had countless other roles in theater, television, and movies.

He was once hailed by Daily Variety as the “hardest-working actor in Hollywood,” according to his agency, Shelter Entertainment Group.

Ned Beatty was born and raised in Kentucky, fishing and working on farms, according to the agency.

“He started out as a professional performer at age 10 when he made money singing in gospel quartets and in a hair salon,” the agency said.

After Ned Beatty had long stints at the theater in Abingdon, Virginia; In Washington, and on Broadway, he was cast by film director John Boorman to play Bobby Trippe, who is sexually assaulted in the unshakable thriller “Deliverance,” according to Shelter Entertainment.

His other films include “All the President’s Men,” “The Big Easy” and “Hear My Song,” and more recently “The Walker,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” and “Shooter,” according to the agency.