Thomas Kent "T.K." Carter has passed away at the age of 69.(Photo Courtesy: Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris - Image courtesy gettyimages.com via https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0141953/mediaviewer/rm4101745152/?ref_=nm_ov_ph)Born in New York City in 1956, he and his family moved to Southern California where he later started his career as a stand-up comedian.  While he had been acting for some time, his breakout role as Nauls the cook in the 1982 horror movie The Thing led to establishing him as a serious actor.  He had a recurring role in Punky Brewster and appeared in other movies and television shows including: Good Times, Just Our Luck, Runaway Train, Good Morning Miss Bliss, Ski Patrol, The Sinbad Show, and Space Jam.