R.I.P. RON SILVER
Ron Silver, best known for his roles on The West Wing and the film Reversal of Fortune, has died. The cause was esophageal cancer. He was 62.
“Ron Silver died peacefully in his sleep with his family around him this morning,” Robin Bronk, executive director of the Creative Coalition, said in a statement to the New York Post. Silver had helped found the group, which supports a range of liberal causes.
Silver, a onetime liberal activist and Actor’s Equity Association union leader, later became involved in Republican politics, even speaking at the party’s 2004 convention.
With wide-ranging interests beyond acting, Silver, who hosted a public affairs program for Sirius radio, studied Chinese culture and language in graduate school and later spent a year at Yale immersing himself in constitutional law.
In a 1993 interview with The New York Times, Silver described why he tried to use his fame for more than just a good table at a restaurant.
“We have a certain visibility, and power in the society. We’re a celebrity-ridden society. Why not use that to try to do a little good?”
This sucks. Mr. Silver was such a big part of my life. He was such a prize, such a treasure to have on the set of Heat Vision and Jack. 62 is too young. He was a great actor, full of power and charisma. It was an honor to work with him for the little time I did. I remember watching him in Mr. Saturday Night thinking -”this movie sucks but shit, he’s good.” Then he fucked everybody up in TIME COP. What a man! The scene in THE ARRIVAL where he said to Sheen ”...and now your dead” made Harmon and love him so much.
Ben Stiller was looking through issue 16 of Scud and saw in the credits that I voice cast Ron Silver as THE PRODUCER. He said “I grew up with Ron, my Mom was on Rhoda with him and he was always nice to me.”
Harmon and I took that little bit of information and wove it into the Heat Vision and Jack script. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, who’s ever seen HV&J has said he was so incredible. The first time I heard Harmon’s dialog coming out of his mouth, I was in tears. Tears of joy.
I hate this. Farewell, Mr. Silver.
Ron Silver is unforgettable.
sigh That is NOT how I wanted to start my week. Farewell, Ron.
This saddens me on two levels, the first being that such a great actor is no longer with us. The second is that it has dismantled the movie adaptation of Heat Vision and Jack I have in my head.
Ugh… I loved that man. He was someone that I would watch a whole movie just cause he was in it. He was really a great talent… never met him personally but I hear that he was a great person as well. What you wrote, rob, wrote just confirmed that for me. He will be missed.
Dang…