One Eyed Jacks Owner & Actor Rio Hackford Dead at 51

Rio Hackford, who was seen in The Mandalorian, Treme, and Swingers, and also owned a popular New Orleans venue, has died at the age of 51.

Hackford, who was the son of movie producer/director Taylor Hackford and step-son to Dame Helen Mirren, and was also the owner of New Orleans club One Eyed Jacks, died in Huntington Beach, California on Thursday (April 14th) due to an undisclosed illness.

One Eyed Jacks, whose stage hosted such legends as Prince and David Bowie, was also featured in the hit HBO series Treme, where Hackford acted as Toby, a friend to series star Steve Zahn's character David McAlary.

While One Eyed Jacks on Toulouse Street closed down during the pandemic, and the building bought by Ben Jaffe and partners, who opened the Toulouse Theatre in the space, One Eyed Jacks Presents, opened on Decatur Street in the space formerly occupied by B.B. King's Blues Club.

Born on June 28th, 1970 in Los Angeles, Hackford got his acting start playing bit roles in films such as Exit to Eden, Double Dragon and Strange Days before landing the role of Skully in Swingers, the 1996 surprise hit that launched the careers of Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Heather Graham and Ron Livingston.

Hackford worked mostly in films through the early 2000's, such as Treasure Island, Raising Helen, Fred Claus and Jonah Hex. In the 2010's, and post-Treme, he turned his focus toward television, working on shows such as Underground, The O.J. Simpson Trial: American Crime Story, and The Mandalorian. His latest role was in the Hulu limited series, Pam & Tommy.

Along with his father and step-mother, Hackford is survived by his wife, Libby Grace, two children, and a brother, Alex Hackford.