Ron Silver
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| Ron Silver | |
| Born | Ronald Arthur Silver July 2, 1946 New York City, New York, USA |
|---|---|
| Died | March 15, 2009 (aged 62) New York City, New York, USA |
| Occupation | Actor, director, producer and political activist |
| Years active | 1974–2008 |
| Spouse(s) | Lynne Miller (1975–97) (divorced) |
Ronald Arthur "Ron" Silver[1] (July 2, 1946 – March 15, 2009) was an American actor, director, producer, radio host and political activist.
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[edit] Early life
Silver was born in New York City, New York, the son of May (née Zimelman), a substitute teacher, and Irving Roy Silver, a clothing sales executive.[1][2] Silver was raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and attended The East Side Hebrew Institute ("ESHI") and then Stuyvesant High School.[3] He went on to graduate from SUNY at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Chinese, and received a Master's Degree in Chinese History from St. John's University in New York and the College of Chinese Culture in Taiwan. He also attended Columbia University's Graduate School of International Affairs and studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio.
[edit] Career
Silver made his film debut in Tunnel Vision in 1976. From 1976 to 1978 he played downstairs neighbor Gary Levy in the series Rhoda. Additional screen roles include Lovesick (1983), the devoted son of Anne Bancroft in Garbo Talks (1984), an incompetent detective in Eat and Run (1986), the pistol-wielding psychopath opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in 1989's Blue Steel. and the lead in Paul Mazursky's Oscar-nominated Enemies: A Love Story (1989). Silver also starred opposite Jerry Lewis in the "Garment District Arc" of the crime show Wiseguy (1988). He often said in interviews that growing up the son of a man working in the garment industry was a great help in preparing for the role. He also portrayed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz in Reversal of Fortune (1990), based on the trial of Claus von Bülow. In 1998, he starred opposite Kirstie Alley for Season 2 of Veronica's Closet.
Silver was featured in such diverse films as Mr. Saturday Night (1992), Timecop (1994), and as Muhammad Ali's boxing cornerman Angelo Dundee in Ali (2001). From 2001 to 2002 and 2005 to 2006, Silver portrayed presidential campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli on The West Wing.
From 1991 to 2000, Silver served as president of the Actors' Equity Association.
In February 2008, Silver began hosting The Ron Silver Show on Sirius Satellite Radio, which focused on politics and public affairs. The show aired live from 9–11am ET, during morning drive time, on Indie Talk, Sirius 110.
[edit] Personal life and politics
Silver traveled to more than 30 countries and spoke fluent Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. He taught at the high school level and was a social worker for the Department of Social Services.
He was a co-founder in 1989 of the entertainment industry political advocacy organization the Creative Coalition.
Silver was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2000, he co-founded the organization One Jerusalem to oppose the Oslo Peace Agreement. Its purpose is to maintain "a united Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel."[4]
Silver, a Democrat for many years, left the party and became an Independent, and a supporter of President George W. Bush, citing the September 11, 2001 attacks and Democratic policies regarding terrorism as reasons. He spoke at the United States 2004 Republican National Convention, continued to support President Bush, and was appointed Chairman for the Millennium Committee by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It is said, by Silver and friends, that following his endorsement of President Bush, he was ostracized by, then, friends and colleagues. In Silver's blog on the Pajamas Media website, he wrote that his colleagues on the set of The West Wing would call him "Ron, Ron, the Neo-Con."[5]
On October 7, 2005, Silver was nominated by President Bush to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace.
On September 8, 2006, it was announced that Silver had joined an advisory committee to the Lewis Libby Legal Defense Trust.[6]
[edit] Death
Silver died on March 15, 2009 of esophageal cancer, which he was diagnosed with two years earlier. He is survived by both parents, brothers Mitchell and Keith, son Adam, and daughter Alexandra.[7]
[edit] Work
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Ron Silver". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/movies/16silver.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-16.
- ^ "Ron Silver Biography". http://www.filmreference.com/film/62/Ron-Silver.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ "Ron Silver". Greater Talent Network. http://www.greatertalent.com/speakers/speakers.php?speakerid=563. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ "Mission Statement". http://www.onejerusalem.org/statement.asp. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ http://www.philly.com/inquirer/obituaries/20090317_Ron_Silver__62__Tony_winner__social_and_political_activist.html
- ^ "Libby Legal Defense Fund". http://www.scooterlibby.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ K. Li, David (March 15, 2009). "Ron Silver Dies". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/seven/03152009/news/regionalnews/ron_silver_dies_159710.htm.
[edit] External links
- Ron Silver at the Internet Movie Database.
- Ron Silver's blog at Pajamas Media.
- "Actor Ron Silver Has a New Role, Backing Bush." The Washington Post. September 3, 2004.
- "Ron Silver, 62, Persuasive Actor and Activist, Dies," The New York Times, March 15, 2009.
- Obituary, Los Angeles Daily News.
- "Ron Silver: Successful Film Actor," (obituary), The London Times, March 17, 2009.
- "Ron Silver," Time magazine, March 19, 2009.
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