Actor, Musician Mike Schank Dead at 56: Struggled With Gambling Addiction

A popular actor appearing in cult films like "American Movie" has died of cancer at the age of 56.

Mike Schank, who was also a musician, had issues with gambling addiction and alchoholism that he made publicly known.

A close friend of Schank's, Jackie Bogenberger, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he had been battling cancer in recent months.  Schank died on Thursday and news of his death came out on Monday.

“It spread quickly everywhere throughout his body in a matter of weeks, touching almost everything except his brain,” Bogenberger said. “He did some chemo and radiation. One of the last things Mike said to me was, ‘Hey Jackie, I feel really bad for children who have cancer. They should never have to.’”

“American Movie” won best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival and became a cult favorite over the years.

Directed by Chris Smith and produced by Smith and Sarah Price, the film chronicles the making of "Coven", an independent short horror film directed by Wisconsin-based filmmaker Mark Borchardt.  The production of the horror film would go on to become a trainwreck.

The documentary follows Borchardt's filmmaking process from script to screen, and is interspersed with footage from both of Borchardt's developing projects.

Schank would go on to appear in the 2001 film “Storytelling” and made a voice cameo as himself on the animated sitcom “Family Guy.”

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com