The star of one of the biggest films of the 90s was spotted during a very rare outing in LA, months after an epic Hollywood reunion.
Carel Struycken – most known for his role as Lurch in the beloved childhood movie, The Addams Family – was pictured running errands recently, popping into a Trader Joe’s.
In new photos, the 76-year-old, who was diagnosed with acromegaly, was seen making his way into the supermarket.
He wore a grey hoodie over a T-shirt, and black tracksuit bottoms, paired with sunglasses, black trainers and a grey hat.
The actor was armed with shopping bags and a cane for the lowkey outing, ahead of the Christmas rush.
Carel has been on our screen for decades, making his movie debut in Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1978.
He also appeared in The Witches of Eastwick, Framed, Men in Black, Oblivion and Doctor Sleep over the years.
His biggest role came as gloomy butler Lurch in the Addams Family in 1991, alongside Anjelica Huston, Christina Ricci, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and Jimmy Workman.
Two years later, he went on to reprise the character in the sequel, Addams Family Values, before popping up in Addams Family Reunion in 1998 – beside a mostly different cast.
The flicks sparked a spin-off series, Wednesday, which premiered on Netflix in 2022.
Carel reunited with his original on-screen family at Los Angeles Comic-Con in October, giving us all the feels.
He attended a panel with Anjelica, Christina, Jimmy and Christopher, who later posted a snap of them together on social media, with the caption: ‘The family that haunts together, stays together…💀🖤.’
Aside from films, he also graced the small screen many times over the years, including Twin Peaks, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5, My Name is Earl and the Blacklist.
Out of the spotlight, Carel currently lives in LA with his wife, and their two children, and is also a keen photographer.
While in his 20s, he was diagnosed with a rare condition named acromegaly – according to the NHS, this occurs when the body ‘produces too much growth hormone’ and causes bones and body tissues to ‘grow more quickly’.
This leads to ‘abnormally large hands and feet’, while those with the condition can also face symptoms including tiredness and difficulty sleeping, gradual changes in their facial features, skin changes, deepening of the voice and joint pain.
According to the LA Times, more than 40,000 people in the US have been diagnosed with acromegaly.
‘What I’ve always noticed going through the medical mill is that there are people – even endocrinologists who should know their stuff – who are really very uneducated as far as acromegaly is concerned,’ he told the outlet in 1992, before commending the help he found in a support group.
‘This group definitely serves a very important function.’
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