Ron Silver
Encyclopedia
Ronald Arthur "Ron" Silver (July 2, 1946 – March 15, 2009) was an American actor
, director
, producer
, radio host and political activist.
Zimelman), a substitute teacher
, and Irving Roy Silver, a clothing sales executive. Silver was raised Jewish on the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
and attended The East Side Hebrew Institute
("ESHI") and then Stuyvesant High School
.
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.
, were discovered by Hollywood Film Agents during this show's historic run.
He made his film debut in Tunnel Vision in 1976. From 1976-78, he had a recurring role as Gary Levy in the sitcom Rhoda
, a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
. Additional screen roles include a performance as the devoted son of Anne Bancroft
in Garbo Talks
(1984), an incompetent detective in Eat and Run
(1986), the pistol-wielding psychopath stalking Jamie Lee Curtis
in 1989's Blue Steel
, and the lead in Paul Mazursky
's Oscar-nominated Enemies: A Love Story (1989).
He starred as Jerry Lewis
's character's son in the episode "Garment District Arc" of the crime show Wiseguy
(1988). He portrayed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz
in the true story Reversal of Fortune
(1990), based on the trial of Claus von Bülow
. From 1991-2000, Silver served as president of the Actors' Equity Association
. He played a film producer in Best Friends
opposite Burt Reynolds
and Goldie Hawn
and a film director in Mr. Saturday Night
(1992).
In 1998, he starred opposite Kirstie Alley
for season two of her TV comedy series Veronica's Closet
. Silver portrayed real life attorney Robert Shapiro in American Tragedy
(2000), the story of the O.J. Simpson trial. He portrayed tennis player Bobby Riggs
in the TV docudrama When Billie Beat Bobby
(2001), about Riggs' real-life exhibition tennis match against Billie Jean King
, which Riggs lost.
Silver was featured as Muhammad Ali
's boxing trainer and cornerman Angelo Dundee
in the biopic Ali
(2001), directed by Michael Mann. From 2001-02 and again from 2005–06, he had a recurring role as presidential campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli on the NBC series The West Wing. Silver provided the narration for the 2004 political documentary film
FahrenHYPE 9/11
that was produced as a conservative political response to the award-winning and controversial Michael Moore
documentary film, Fahrenheit 9/11
. One of his final film performances was as a judge in another true story, 2006's Find Me Guilty
, directed by Sidney Lumet
and starring Vin Diesel
.
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.
. He taught at the high school level and was a social worker for the Department of Social Services.
In 1975 he married another social worker, later Self
magazine editor, Lynne Miller. The marriage lasted until 1997. 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
."
Silver, a Democrat for many years, left the party and became an Independent
, and a supporter of President George W. Bush
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
, citing those 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
.
Silver and some of his friends said that following his endorsement of President Bush he was ostracized by erstwhile friends and onetime colleagues. In Silver's blog on the Pajamas Media
website, he also remarked that his colleagues on the set of The West Wing referred to him as "Ron, Ron, the Neo-Con
."
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.
President George W. Bush
appointed Silver to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.
In one of his last televised interviews he told Sky News
that Senator John McCain
's choice of Sarah Palin
as his Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2008 Presidential Election had been a "deal breaker" for him. According to the obituary printed by the New York Times, his brother, Mitchell Silver, noted that "He told me that he did vote for Barack Obama in the end."
, which had been diagnosed two years earlier. He was 62 years old. Silver is survived by both parents, brothers Mitchell and Keith, son Adam, and daughter Alexandra.
Stage
Film
Voice
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, radio host and political activist.
Early life
Silver was born in New York City, the son of May (néeMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Zimelman), a substitute teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, and Irving Roy Silver, a clothing sales executive. Silver was raised Jewish on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and attended The East Side Hebrew Institute
East Side Hebrew Institute
The East Side Hebrew Institute was a traditional Jewish day school, in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, in New York City. It was "once one of the major institutions of the Jewish East Side".-The Talmud Torah:...
("ESHI") and then Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
.
He went on to graduate from SUNY at Buffalo
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Spanish and Chinese, and received a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Chinese History from St. John's University in New York and the College of Chinese Culture in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. He also attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Graduate School of International Affairs and studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio.
Career
Silver made his stage debut starring in El Grande de Coca Cola in 1974. Producers Richard Flanzer and Roy Silver (no relation) opened it at the famed Whiskey A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in L.A. The production ran for more than a year. Silver and his co-star, actor Jeff GoldblumJeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
, were discovered by Hollywood Film Agents during this show's historic run.
He made his film debut in Tunnel Vision in 1976. From 1976-78, he had a recurring role as Gary Levy in the sitcom Rhoda
Rhoda
Rhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
, a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
. Additional screen roles include a performance as the devoted son of Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
in Garbo Talks
Garbo Talks
Garbo Talks is a 1984 American comedy-drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver, Carrie Fisher, and Betty Comden as Greta Garbo.The movie was written by Larry Grusin and also stars Catherine Hicks and Steven Hill...
(1984), an incompetent detective in Eat and Run
Eat and Run
Eat and Run is a 1986 American comedy/sci-fi directed by Christopher Hart with the script by Christopher Hart and Stan Hart. The film starred Ron Silver, Sharon Schlarth and Pat Ryan Jr..-Plot:...
(1986), the pistol-wielding psychopath stalking Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
in 1989's Blue Steel
Blue Steel (1990 film)
Blue Steel is a 1990 action thriller film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver and Clancy Brown.-Plot:Megan Turner is a rookie New York City policewoman who shoots and kills a suspect with her police-issue .38 Special Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver while he's...
, and the lead in Paul Mazursky
Paul Mazursky
Paul Mazursky is an American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Personal life:He was born Irwin Mazursky in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jean , a piano player for dance classes, and David Mazursky, a laborer. Mazursky was born to a Jewish family; his grandfather was an immigrant from...
's Oscar-nominated Enemies: A Love Story (1989).
He starred as Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
's character's son in the episode "Garment District Arc" of the crime show Wiseguy
Wiseguy
Wiseguy is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 16, 1987 to December 8, 1990 for a total of four seasons. Starring Ken Wahl, the series was produced by Stephen J...
(1988). He portrayed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He has spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where in 1967, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history...
in the true story Reversal of Fortune
Reversal of Fortune
Reversal of Fortune is a 1990 film adapted from the 1985 book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case, written by law professor Alan Dershowitz...
(1990), based on the trial of Claus von Bülow
Claus von Bülow
Claus von Bülow is a British socialite of German and Danish ancestry. He was accused of the attempted murder of his wife Sunny von Bülow by administering an insulin overdose in 1980 but his conviction in the first trial was reversed and he was found not guilty in both his retrials.-Biography:Born...
. From 1991-2000, Silver served as president of the Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
. He played a film producer in Best Friends
Best Friends (film)
Best Friends is a 1982 feature film starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. It is loosely based on the true story of the relationship between its writers, Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin. The film is a drama as well as a romantic comedy.-Plot:...
opposite Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
and Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
and a film director in Mr. Saturday Night
Mr. Saturday Night
Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 film that marks the directorial debut of its star, Billy Crystal.It focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr., a fictional stand-up comedian. Crystal produced and co-wrote the screenplay with the writing duo Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz...
(1992).
In 1998, he starred opposite Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
for season two of her TV comedy series Veronica's Closet
Veronica's Closet
Veronica's Closet is a sitcom which aired on NBC from September 25, 1997, to June 27, 2000.The show starred Kirstie Alley as Veronica “Ronnie” Chase, the head of her own lingerie company.- Season one :...
. Silver portrayed real life attorney Robert Shapiro in American Tragedy
American Tragedy (film)
American Tragedy is a 2000 biographical television movie based on the true story of O.J. Simpson's trial for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman in 1994...
(2000), the story of the O.J. Simpson trial. He portrayed tennis player Bobby Riggs
Bobby Riggs
Robert Larimore "Bobby" Riggs was a 1930s–40s tennis player who was the World No. 1 or the co-World No. 1 player for three years, first as an amateur in 1941, then as a professional in 1946 and 1947...
in the TV docudrama When Billie Beat Bobby
When Billie Beat Bobby
When Billie Beat Bobby is a 2001 ABC docudrama detailing the historic 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs and what lead up to it. The match was filmed at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California....
(2001), about Riggs' real-life exhibition tennis match against Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
, which Riggs lost.
Silver was featured as Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
's boxing trainer and cornerman Angelo Dundee
Angelo Dundee
Angelo Dundee is an American boxing cornerman. He is best known for his work with Muhammad Ali , and has worked with 15 world boxing champions, including Sugar Ray Leonard, José Nápoles, George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Carmen Basilio, Luis Rodriguez and Willie Pastrano.-Professional career:Born in...
in the biopic Ali
Ali (film)
Ali is a 2001 American biographical film directed by Michael Mann. The film tells the story of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974 featuring his capture as of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston , his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, banishment...
(2001), directed by Michael Mann. From 2001-02 and again from 2005–06, he had a recurring role as presidential campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli on the NBC series The West Wing. Silver provided the narration for the 2004 political documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
FahrenHYPE 9/11
FahrenHYPE 9/11
FahrenHYPE 9/11 is a 2004 film that examines and challenges Michael Moore's documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11. The movie is narrated by Ron Silver...
that was produced as a conservative political response to the award-winning and controversial Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
documentary film, Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
. One of his final film performances was as a judge in another true story, 2006's Find Me Guilty
Find Me Guilty
Find Me Guilty is a 2006 legal drama crime film based on the true story about the longest Mafia trial in American history. Mobster Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio faces a series of charges even though he has a prior 30 year conviction, but he decides to stand trial instead of ratting out his family and...
, directed by Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict...
and starring Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
.
In February 2008, Silver began hosting The Ron Silver Show on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
, which focused on politics and public affairs. The show aired live from 9–11am ET, during morning drive time
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
, on Indie Talk, Sirius 110.
Personal life and politics
Silver travelled to more than 30 countries and spoke fluent Mandarin Chinese and SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. He taught at the high school level and was a social worker for the Department of Social Services.
In 1975 he married another social worker, later Self
Self (magazine)
Self magazine is an American magazine for women that specializes in health, fitness, nutrition, beauty and happiness. Published by Condé Nast Publications 12 times a year, it has a circulation of 1,486,992 and a total audience of 5,541,000 readers, according to its corporate media kit. The...
magazine editor, Lynne Miller. The marriage lasted until 1997. He was a co-founder in 1989 of the entertainment industry political advocacy organization the Creative Coalition
Creative Coalition
The Creative Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, politically-active group formed of members of the American entertainment industry....
.
Silver was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. In 2000, he co-founded the organization One Jerusalem
One Jerusalem
One Jerusalem is an organisation with the stated mission of "maintaining a united Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel". It was founded as a response to the Oslo Peace Process, specifically, out of a concern that the settlement might lead to Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem's Temple...
to oppose the Oslo Peace Agreement. Its purpose is to maintain "a united Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
."
Silver, a Democrat for many years, left the party and became an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, and a supporter of President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, citing those attacks and Democratic policies regarding terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
as reasons. He spoke at the United States 2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Republican National Convention
The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York...
, continued to support President Bush, and was appointed Chairman for the Millennium Committee by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
.
Silver and some of his friends said that following his endorsement of President Bush he was ostracized by erstwhile friends and onetime colleagues. In Silver's blog on the Pajamas Media
Pajamas Media
PJ Media is a media company that uses the Internet to present and comment on the news.Founded in 2004 by a network primarily, but not exclusively, made up of conservatives and libertarians led by mystery writer, screenwriter, and blogger Roger L...
website, he also remarked that his colleagues on the set of The West Wing referred to him as "Ron, Ron, the Neo-Con
Neoconservatism
Neoconservatism in the United States is a branch of American conservatism. Since 2001, neoconservatism has been associated with democracy promotion, that is with assisting movements for democracy, in some cases by economic sanctions or military action....
."
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
United States Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress as a non-partisan, federal institution that works to prevent or end violent conflict around the world...
. On September 8, 2006, it was announced that Silver had joined an advisory committee to the Lewis Libby
Lewis Libby
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is a former adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney, later disbarred and convicted of a felony....
Legal Defense Trust.
President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
appointed Silver to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.
In one of his last televised interviews he told Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
that Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's choice of Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
as his Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2008 Presidential Election had been a "deal breaker" for him. According to the obituary printed by the New York Times, his brother, Mitchell Silver, noted that "He told me that he did vote for Barack Obama in the end."
Death
Silver died on March 15, 2009 of esophageal cancerEsophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
, which had been diagnosed two years earlier. He was 62 years old. Silver is survived by both parents, brothers Mitchell and Keith, son Adam, and daughter Alexandra.
Work
Television- Crossing JordanCrossing JordanCrossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...
- Chicago HopeChicago HopeChicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
- Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
- Rockford Files
- RhodaRhodaRhoda is an American television sitcom, starring Valerie Harper, which ran for five seasons, from 1974 to 1978 airing in 109 episodes. The show was a spin-off from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which Harper between the years 1970 and 1974 had played the role of Rhoda Morgenstern, a spunky,...
- Hill Street BluesHill Street BluesHill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
- SkinSkin (TV series)Skin is a television serial drama which aired at 9:00 p.m. Monday on Fox in 2003. It followed the tale of two teenagers who came from feuding families on opposite sides of the moral and legal spectrum. Adam is the son of the Los Angeles District Attorney, and Jewel is the daughter of a pornographer...
- Veronica's ClosetVeronica's ClosetVeronica's Closet is a sitcom which aired on NBC from September 25, 1997, to June 27, 2000.The show starred Kirstie Alley as Veronica “Ronnie” Chase, the head of her own lingerie company.- Season one :...
- The Stockard Channing Show
- Heat Vision and JackHeat Vision and JackHeat Vision and Jack was a proposed 1999 comedy/sci-fi television show directed by Ben Stiller and starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Ron Silver. Christine Taylor and Vincent Schiavelli guest starred in the pilot episode, the only episode filmed. While the Fox Network didn't pick up the show,...
- Billionaire Boys ClubBillionaire Boys ClubThe Billionaire Boys Club was an investment-and-social club organized by Joseph Gamsky, also known as "Joe Hunt", in southern California in 1983...
- The West Wing
- WiseguyWiseguyWiseguy is an American crime drama series that aired on CBS from September 16, 1987 to December 8, 1990 for a total of four seasons. Starring Ken Wahl, the series was produced by Stephen J...
Stage
- HurlyburlyHurlyburlyHurlyburly is a dark comedy play by David Rabe, first staged in 1984.-Plot:More than three hours long, Hurlyburly focuses on the intersecting lives of several low- to mid-level Hollywood players in the 1980s. Fueled by massive amounts of drugs, they attempt to find some meaning in their isolated,...
- Speed The Plow (TonyTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Drama Desk AwardDrama Desk AwardThe Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
s) - Social SecuritySocial Security (play)Social Security is a play by Andrew Bergman.It focuses on trendy Manhattan art gallery owners Barbara and David Kahn, whose life is upended when her Mineola housewife sister Trudy deposits their eccentric mother Sophie on the couple's doorstep while she and her husband Martin head to Buffalo to...
Film
- Forgotten Prisoners
- LifePodLifepodLifepod is a 1993 reworking of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Lifeboat. It starred Ron Silver, Robert Loggia, Kelli Williams & C. C. H. Pounder, with Silver also directing. The TV movie aired on Fox Network in June 1993....
- Blind Side
- Reversal of FortuneReversal of FortuneReversal of Fortune is a 1990 film adapted from the 1985 book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case, written by law professor Alan Dershowitz...
- Enemies, a Love StoryEnemies, a Love Story (film)Enemies, a Love Story is a 1989 film directed by Paul Mazursky, based on the novel Enemies, a Love Story by Isaac Bashevis Singer.-Plot:...
- SilkwoodSilkwoodSilkwood is a 1983 American drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen was inspired by the true-life story of Karen Silkwood, who died in a suspicious car accident while investigating alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she...
- AliAli (film)Ali is a 2001 American biographical film directed by Michael Mann. The film tells the story of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, played by Will Smith, from 1964 to 1974 featuring his capture as of the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston , his conversion to Islam, criticism of the Vietnam War, banishment...
- Married to ItMarried to ItMarried to It is a 1991 film directed by Arthur Hiller about three New York City couples with disparate careers, ages, and lifestyles who nonetheless bond through their mutual connection to a local private school. As they help to stage a school pageant with a 1960s theme, each couple begins to...
- LovesickLovesickLovesick is a 1983 romantic comedy film. It was written and directed by Marshall Brickman. It stars Dudley Moore and Elizabeth McGovern and features Alec Guinness as the ghost of Sigmund Freud.-Plot:...
- "Fellow TravellerFellow travellerFellow traveler or fellow traveller is a term referring to a person who sympathizes with the beliefs of an organization or cooperates in its activities without maintaining formal membership in that particular group...
" - RatzRatzRatz , officially the Movement for Civil Rights and Peace was a left-wing political party in Israel from 1973 until its formal merger into Meretz in 1997.-Background:...
- Find Me GuiltyFind Me GuiltyFind Me Guilty is a 2006 legal drama crime film based on the true story about the longest Mafia trial in American history. Mobster Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio faces a series of charges even though he has a prior 30 year conviction, but he decides to stand trial instead of ratting out his family and...
- Blue SteelBlue Steel (1990 film)Blue Steel is a 1990 action thriller film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver and Clancy Brown.-Plot:Megan Turner is a rookie New York City policewoman who shoots and kills a suspect with her police-issue .38 Special Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver while he's...
- The ArrivalThe Arrival (film)The Arrival is a 1996 science fiction film directed by David Twohy and starring Charlie Sheen, and co-starring Lindsay Crouse, Richard Schiff, Ron Silver, and Teri Polo...
- Word of HonorWord of Honor (1981 film)Word of Honor is a 1981 film co-written by David Ackles. It starred Karl Malden and featured appearances by a young Ron Silver and the film debut of John Malkovich. It was directed by Mel Damski. This film was produced by Alex Karras and his wife Susan Clark ; Alex manages to make a brief...
- Best FriendsBest Friends (film)Best Friends is a 1982 feature film starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. It is loosely based on the true story of the relationship between its writers, Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin. The film is a drama as well as a romantic comedy.-Plot:...
- The EntityThe EntityThe Entity is a horror film purportedly based on the paranormal events a woman and her family experienced circa 1976. It stars Barbara Hershey as a woman tormented by an unseen entity...
- Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story
- Silent RageSilent RageSilent Rage is a 1982 romantic/action/science fiction/horror movie starring Chuck Norris and directed by Michael Miller.-Plot:In a small Texas town, the mentally ill John Kirby goes insane and kills two people of a family he was staying with...
- Garbo TalksGarbo TalksGarbo Talks is a 1984 American comedy-drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Anne Bancroft, Ron Silver, Carrie Fisher, and Betty Comden as Greta Garbo.The movie was written by Larry Grusin and also stars Catherine Hicks and Steven Hill...
- Festival in CannesFestival in CannesFestival in Cannes is a 2001 film directed by Henry Jaglom.The plot is an entertainment industry farce about filmmakers trying to make deals during the Cannes Film Festival....
- JackJack (2004 film)Jack is a 2004 drama film written by A. M. Holmes and directed by Lee Rose, released on March 2, 2004. The film is about a boy whose life is torn apart because of his parents divorce. The film stars Anton Yelchin, Erich Anderson, Brent Spiner.-Plot:...
- The TenThe TenThe Ten is a 2007 American comedy film, directed by David Wain and cowritten by Wain and Ken Marino, released through ThinkFilm. The film was released on August 3, 2007...
- Mr. Saturday NightMr. Saturday NightMr. Saturday Night is a 1992 film that marks the directorial debut of its star, Billy Crystal.It focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr., a fictional stand-up comedian. Crystal produced and co-wrote the screenplay with the writing duo Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz...
- TimecopTimecopTimecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer...
- FahrenHYPE 9/11FahrenHYPE 9/11FahrenHYPE 9/11 is a 2004 film that examines and challenges Michael Moore's documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11. The movie is narrated by Ron Silver...
- Live WireLive Wire (film)Live Wire is a 1992 action movie, written by Bart Baker, directed by Christian Duguay and starring Pierce Brosnan, Ron Silver, Ben Cross and Lisa Eilbacher....
- Semi-ToughSemi-ToughSemi-Tough is a 1977 film directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Lotte Lenya, Bert Convy, and Brian Dennehy. The plot involves a love triangle between the characters portrayed by Reynolds, Kristofferson and Clayburgh...
Voice
- American PastoralAmerican PastoralAmerican Pastoral is a Philip Roth novel concerning Seymour "Swede" Levov, a Jewish-American businessman and former high school athlete from Newark, New Jersey. Levov's happy and conventional upper middle class life is ruined by the domestic social and political turmoil of the 1960s, which in the...
by Philip RothPhilip RothPhilip Milton Roth is an American novelist. He gained fame with the 1959 novella Goodbye, Columbus, an irreverent and humorous portrait of Jewish-American life that earned him a National Book Award...
External links
- 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 NewsLos Angeles Daily NewsThe Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
. - "Ron Silver: Successful Film Actor," (obituary), The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, March 17, 2009. - "Ron Silver," Time magazine, March 19, 2009.