Los Angeles, Oct 25 (IANS): Actor James Karen, best known for "Poltergeist" and "Night of the Living Dead", is no more. He was 94.

According to variety.com, he died on Tuesday here. His friend Leonard Maltin confirmed the news of his demise.

Born Jacob Karnovsky in 1923, the actor later changed his last name to Karen after setting out to pursue a career in New York in the 1940s as a professional actor. Under his new name, he went on to garner appearances spanning both film and television for more than 70 years.

Of his many roles, Karen is best known for his rendition of the "Poltergeist" character Mr. Teague, a real estate developer who builds a suburban housing community on top of a cemetery filled with angry spirits.

Karen also starred in the horror classic "Return of the Living Dead", playing an unassuming medical warehouse manager who manages to release an experimental gas that brings the dead back to life. Other prominent films include "The Pursuit of Happyness", "The China Syndrome", "All the President's Men" and "Mulholland Drive".

Karen is survived by his wife Alba and his son Reed.