James Rebhorn was one of those actors whose name you didn’t know but you certainly recognized his face from somewhere. He played a great many roles throughout his career including, but certainly not limited to these memorable movies:
Regarding Henry
My Cousin Vinny
Basic Instinct
Scent of a Woman
Carlito’s Way
Guarding Tess
Independence Day
The Game
Seinfeld (not a movie obviously)
Meet The Parents
There are so many more movies and television shows he was a part of it’s quite amazing all the work he has done throughout his life.
He was diagnosed with Melanoma in 1992 at the age of 43! We don’t have a lot of information about his illness and exactly what transpired but it’s clear now that he had battled it for over 20 years.
Melanoma is a skin cancer that is very often fatal if not caught quickly. The reason for this is because melanoma can spread to distant parts of the body very easily and quite quickly if not caught in time. The good news about this skin cancer is that it can be completely cured if it’s caught in time and enough skin is removed to prevent it’s spread elsewhere. There are new treatments on the horizon such as vaccines that will allow your body to kill the melanoma on it’s own, right down to the last cancer cell. This will be a phenomenal breakthrough if/when it does occur. You can read more about the melanoma vaccine trials here. There are also many other trials which are investigating novel medications to treat this very dangerous skin condition. Until that time, we have to use common sense and to visit our doctor if we notice any abnormal moles or skin lesions that are new or rapidly changing.
