Boy am I sad to hear this. Never saw it coming since I was unaware of Mr. Silver’s battles with esophageal cancer over the past two years. He was not only a talented actor who’s stage and celluloid presence will be missed, but a rare voice for conservatism in LaLa land.
Mr. Silver wasn’t always a conservative. It was 911 that was instrumental in his political philosophical change. Pat Dollard has a write up on Mr. Silver’s change of heart, as well as Roger L. Simon at Pajamas Media. Silver epitomizes the true spirit of “bipartisanship”… beloved by both Democrats and Republicans alike for his courage and convictions.
Roger Friedman writes a poignant obituary for Mr. Silver, noting that while he didn’t agree with him politically, “he will truly, always, be sorely missed and greatly remembered.”.
I couldn’t agree more. RIP, Mr. Silver. The planet is a little less interesting without you.
I am terribly saddened to report that the great actor and political activist, Ron Silver, died this morning at his home in New York. Ron was 62 and had been bravely battling esophageal cancer for the last two years. He leaves two children, Adam and Alexandra, his parents and his two brothers, as well as countless friends and admirers.
About ten days ago I wrote in this space about Ron’s great acting achievements. Of course, he first came to popularity acting with Valerie Harper and Julie Kavner in “Rhoda,” as their menschy neighbor, Gary. But very quickly he took off in movies, with such milestones as his performance in “Enemies: A Love Story”, his wonderful portrayal of lawyer Alan Dershowitz in “Reversal of Fortune”, and so many other films including “Garbo Talks”, “Blue Steel”, and “Ali”. He was nominated twice for Emmy awards.
Ron was also an accomplished theater actor. His credits included the original Broadway cast of “HurlyBurly” (1984) with William Hurt, Judith Ivey, and Harvey Keitel. In 1986 he co-starred on Broadway with Marlo Thomas in the comedy “Social Security”. And in 1988 he, Joe Mantegna and Madonna were the original cast of David Mamet’s “Speed the Plow.” Ron won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Charlie Fox, the screenwriter with the idea who comes to Bobby Gould (Mantegna) for help. In all three plays, Ron secured his place as the “it” New York actor of his time, consummate, literate, dangerous and smart.The smart was a good thing and a bad thing. In 1989, Ron helped found the Creative Coalition with Alec Baldwin, Ron Silver, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Blair Brown and Stephen Collins. It only takes a second to realize this was a group of liberal minded actors, and Ron was part of them. But soon his politics turned conservative. In short order Ron started endorsing candidates like New York Republicans Rudolph Giuiliani and Alfonse D’Amato. This caused no end of headaches, discussions, debates, and fights. But it also made for a lively time.
UPDATE: Be sure to read Ann Coulter’s personal take on Mr. Silver’s dedication to staying abreast of news thru his cancer treatments.
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