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Beloved character actor David Huddleston, who played the title role in The Big Lebowski, passed away Tuesday of heart and kidney disease, the LA Times reports. He was 85 years old.Though probably best known for playing the Dude's wheelchair-bound nemesis in the Coen brothers' famous film, Huddleston's half-a-century-long acting career was long and varied.He got his start on TV during the 1960s in shows like Bonzanza, and continued acting steadily in film, television, and on stage for the next 50 years. Huddleston was a familiar face on The West Wing, gave a rousing speech as a lawyer in Blazing Saddles, and popped up in the 2005 film version of The Producers.Huddleston is survived by his wife of 32 years, Sarah Koeppe, who told the Times, "Things were not important to him—people were."Read: 'The Big Lebowski' Saved This Guy's Life