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He battled esophageal cancer for two years and died today at age 62. Silver had a long career on stage, screen and film, winning Tony and Emmy awards, the latter as a slick campaign strategist on The West Wing. His TV credits included recurring roles on Chicago Hope and Veronica's Closet, and his films included Ali, Reversal of Fortune, Silkwood and Semi-Tough. A co-founder of the non-partisan Creative Coalition, Silver stunned Hollywood when he abandoned his lifelong Democratic activism to support the Bush administration's post-9/11 policies and wars. He then spoke at the 2004 Republican presidential convention in support of George W Bush. He also narrated 2004's Fahrenhype 9/11, which tried to disprove Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. Silver accused liberal Hollywood of punishing him for his political about-face by withholding acting roles; whether true or not, the fact is Silver wasn't working as much in recent years.
R.I.P. Ron Silver
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RIP. Ron Silver will be missed.
He will be missed by many fans of his work, talented guy, loved him for the great roles he inhabited. Of course his about face politically was a surprise but his right. I didn’t have to agree with him to enjoy him.
RIP Mr. Silver
So sorry to hear this. He was a great actor and will be missed greatly.
A man for all seasons.
A true gentleman, a great actor, a tremendous loss.
Just got up and read this sad news. Silver was one of my favorite actors.
Very sorry to hear this. He will be missed.
An underrated actor. Not quite sure how much he was working in recent years has to do with his obit or why half of it is devoted to his politics, but the man clearly followed his conscience throughout his remaining tough years. He will be missed, onscreen and off.
goodnight, bruno gianelli. thanks for getting jed elected.
What a shock, I didn’t even know about his cancer. He will be missed.
Oh man… this was a surprise to me and a real bummer. I remember his roles vividly but had much more respect for his gut-check and political turnabout. Takes a certain kind of person to do that in this town where safety is all about going with the flow. Gotta admire his stand in the face of it. Class act.
A gentleman, a thespian and a patriot. He will be missed.
A terrific actor and a class act all the way.
If Silver didn’t work because because of his political views, then that is truly horrific. I’m always amazed how intolerant hollywood liberals are of different viewpoints. It also amazes me that these same libs turn a blind eye to celebs like Jay Leno, Tom Hanks and George Clooney, who although technically “liberal,” have done more to undermine the working class in hollywood than one person voting for Bush ever could.
Toughts are with his family and former agent (now retired Andrea Eastman of ICM) who stood beside Ron during the good, bad and ugly. Over the past several years, I heard from a good source that ICM quietly worked for Ron to make sure he had money coming in and he was able to get guild insurance. Shows that agents are not so bad. A talented guy who will be missed. RIP.
An amazing talent. The suffering is over – his memory will live on.
Hey how about just honoring a great actor and human being and not using the event as an excuse to swing your political axe for one side or the other.
Cheers Ron, thanks…
I truly doubt that anyone in Hollywood cared about Ron Silver’s politics in order to “punish” him. I can name pages of great Democrat actors who haven’t worked a lot in recent years as well. The truth is that there are many more actors than there our roles; every actor knows that.
He will be missed though.
R.I.P
Whatever his politics, a true mensch. Rest in peace.
I first saw him when I was eight and watched Silent Rage one terror-filled summer night. I loved him in roles ever since. Especially also in West Wing. He definitely had a quality about him.
It’s too bad 9/11 apparently made so many perfectly rational-seeming people abdicate their rationality. I hope wherever he is, he’s found some peace from both his pain and this insane world.
The type of cancer he had is horrible, almost as bad as stomach/bowel cancer. You literally starve and dehydrate to death in front of loved ones, and they are helpless to do anything. Prayers for his family who had to go through that.
In the winter of 1991, I was quite surprised to find myself sitting next to Ron Silver in the back row of my property class at Yale law school. Apparently, after becoming president of Actors Equity, Silver actually wanted to learn something about the law, and arranged to audit a few classes. At first, it seemed like a publicity stunt (I remember seeing a blurb about it at the time in Newsweek or Time), but week after week he kept showing up to class, taking the train from New York a few times a week. We chatted from time to time, and I remember him as genuinely interested in learning, law, and life (that and the lactose-free coffee creamer he carried with him). A few years ago I ran into him walking after dinner in Beverly Hills and said hello, and we laughed about our days in the back row. He was a lovely fellow; my heart goes out to his family.
Ron Silver will truly be missed. I loved his acting. I did not know that Hollyweird blackballed him to due his political views. Who the hell is running Hollyweird anyway? I think it’s a shame. Shame on you Hollywood!!! Shame! Shame! Shame! If he came out and said he was gay or was into beastiality, they’s be slobbering all over him with delight. Pigs!
This is a shock, I didn’t even know he was ill.
He was one of those actors that no matter the project, you could rest assured that he would do a good job breathing life into whatever character he played.
He was great in Silkwood.
Wondering if he was a smoker. Probably was.
The only thing that was strange was his bottle-brown long hair bit. What was up with that??
Hey, Ella — thanks for taking the opportunity to attack the guy instead of just mourning him. (he “abdicated” his rationality? Just because you don’t agree with his position, he’s irrational?). It’s statements like yours that add fuel to the “looney left” stereotype.
You’re a real piece of work.
Ron Silver was a terrific actor, and it’s a shame that Hollywood punished him for his late in life conversion to conservatism by not boycotting him. Typical Hollywood leftist nonsense.
Wjam – drink your kool-aid.
RIP, Ron Siliver. I thought he was a very good actor and quite courageous for standing up for what he believed in. I thought he was underrated in Time Cop and did a superb job on the West Wing.
A superbly gifted actor. He was even goo in bad movies. Think Blue Steel.
He and Dennis Mller had an awakening after the destruction on 9/11.
God bless his soul!
Ron Silver was one of a very few “power” actors. He was almost too real to watch. His work on The West Wing showcased this great talent.
Rest now.
“goodnight, bruno gianelli. thanks for getting jed elected.”
My sentiments exactly.
Farewell, RIP.
Ron, rest now, you class act.
A very, very talented actor. @JD, he claims he was punished for his political views, but I don’t remember him having a particularly vibrant career after 1992 or so, which made his claims of persecution sound more like excuses.
No, WJAM, no. What this story does is explain that his slow-down in work wasn’t by the design of your fictitious shibboleth construct, “Hollyweird”. It was because he was ill and made the choice to keep it quiet. That was his choice and I respect him for that. Unlike you, who sees this as an opportunity to grind an axe.
So r.i.p. Ron. I’ll add your work in “The Entity” as well to remember. And off to that gentle sleep goes another celebrity actor. You know, the type of working American that the right always says should “shut the hell up” when it comes to politics.
Hey David,
Ron Silver did abdicate his rationality. He was aware of it before he died as he voted for Obama.
Sorry if you think voting for a police state over finding the real human cause behind 9/11 seems a rational thought to you. Remember this: Terrorists are people forced to use force whentheir plight doesn’t get justice. Remember the revolutionary war? Who were those terrorists hell bent on destroying their masters? (The British) By golly it was our “Forefathers” the colonists you fool. Fix the problem before it starts. hunkering down in bunker of fear is old school, conservative BS that keeps this country in a fear state. You still have time to change YOUR ways before you die too.
Anonymous, thanks for your insight into the deranged leftwing mind, where terrorists are after “justice”, and American’s forefathers are compared to Islamic fanatics.
You also believe you live in a “police state”. Good thing you’re not “hunkered down” in a “bunker of fear”, you braindead, irony-deficient moron.
I loved him as the heavy in HEAT VISION AND JACK….
RIP
Anonymous, the last time I checked, a “police state’s” elements include private citizens openly targeted by the government (Limbaugh), the media co-opted for propaganda purposes (just about any network, blog, website or newspaper you pick up today), and money taken illegally from citizens with no representation to fund and expand government control over every single aspect of their lives, with the smallest dissension either ignored…or prosecuted.
Sounds familiar today, doesn’t it?
It’s a real shame — and an even bigger one that he pulled a Dennis Miller after 9/11, thus repudiating all the good he did throughout his life beforehand.
A truly tragic example. I feel for his family and friends.
I thought he was terrific in Enemies: A Love Story.
It sounds like he was in a lot of pain, the lst few years, in more ways than one.
I produced a movie with Ron about 10 years or so ago and he was a real pro. Smart as a whip. A bit of a handful at times, but well worth it. And of course a fine actor.
But I have to wonder, if “liberal Hollywood” really blacklisted him, how did he get the WEST WING gig? That show was as liberal as it gets.
On the other hand, it is very possible that a producer or director might’ve been turned off by his conservative politics.
In any case, RIP Ron…
Dear David,
Only a person who sees Politics as a weapon of retribution would see Limbaugh as some sort of “Victim” of the left.
The facts are Limbaugh is a buffoon who is tearing your once powerful party asunder (Not Obama) Limbaugh does it gleefully for his own gain and because Republicans don’t have an answer (other than voting no to everything) they choose to want to shoot down the Democratic mandate which was voted in by a size able majority of the the American voting public.
Being on SS Limbaugh is not the ship you want to be on right now. It’s gonna sink the Trepublican party.
lastly,
Don’t you remember anything about the last 8 years under Bush? Obama is trying to undo all the restrictions Bush placed upon our freedoms and fought off with constitutional lawyers who tried (for now) to curtail freedoms of everyday Americans like you and me.
And you think Obama is out to curtail your freedoms???
PLEASE!!! You either have terrible amnesia or you are extremely partisan from the get-go.
Fess up to either charge.
Comments like that give more credence to quote unquote “left wing deranged minds” like me.
My point is Ron Silver realised his view of the world changed after 9/11 and he had the courage of conviction to change his mind again
I suppose there is something wrong with that too?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/movies/16silver.html?hp
I created an online memorial for Ron. Please visit and leave a message, light a candle, etc. Thanks.
http://www.ilasting.com/ronsilver.php
Anonymous youd better get back to the slurpee machine, its empty…
I acted in a film with Ron and found him to be a deeply compassionate and giving actor who always loved a good raunchy joke. We often traded East Indian and other dialects and laughed often. I will miss his humor and intellectual intensity. He joins a great repertory company up there! Bye, Ron, you are missed.
I liked Ron’s work when he was a Liberal, and I was not. Once he shifted to a more conservative viewpoint I no longer was able to enjoy his talents near as much.
Interesting that Hollywood could not be accepting to his change of heart. While Rightists have to put aside bias in order to enjoy most films the Town could not be as open-minded with Ron Silver, exhibiting an intolerance that is often attributed to the likes of myself. I’d call it ironic if there was not so much tragedy attached to the story. Ron’s gift will be missed.
Hoo boy, MartiniShark, what is it that makes you Drudgebots cling to your memes so tightly in the face on contrary reality?
A cursory check of imdb illustrates that Silver was working quite steadily, in actual name-company productions, in every year since his ‘turn’. It seems to have dropped off somewhat in 2008 – do you think it might have had something to do with his medical condition?
He chose to not publicize his battle. That you are cluelessly using him *today* as a political prop says volumes more about you – your ‘bias, ‘acceptance’, and ‘open-mindedness’ – than anyone else here, most certainly including Ron.
There’s your irony. Tragic, that.
I was at an audition today at Paramount Studios (having already read about Mr Silver’s passing)and I was blessed to be sitting next to Sally Kirkland. I was both thrilled and perplexed that I was sharing the audition with such a legend in our business and I told her what a fan I am. She was adorable and beautiful and we started conversation about things including Ron Silver passing away. No matter what anyone says about Hollywood or whatever you want to call this business, there is an inestimable spirit that really shapes our community. The older I get, the more I see it in the people I meet at these auditions. So here we were at this audition and we were reminiscing about how great Ron Silver was…. I hope Sally gets the part.
I didn’t know he was ill. I always liked that guy. You know what role I thought he was great in but you never hear anyone talk about? The Senator from Timecop. A chilling and terrific performance.
I thought Ron Silver was a great actor — and I even remember him from his early stint on RHODA! As for his politics (which I disagreed with when he made his right turn), well, we’re all entitled to believe what we want and still work side by side and that’s what makes this country great.
There’s a lot of conjecture out there that he didn’t find work in his later years because of his politics, but such things are very difficult, if not impossible to prove. His stint on the WEST WING came during that period and I can’t buy the notion that he was somehow blackballed. Did one producer decline to consider him — sure, that’s possible. But, an industry-wide blacklisting, I doubt that seriously. This town’s not that organized! So, I don’t think we can simply take that at face value and call it so.
As someone else stated — there are a lot of fine actors out there chasing a finite number of roles. Lots of great people don’t work as often as they should!
I saw him in an off-Broadway play called “Friends” at the Manhattan Theater Club with Craig T Nelson back in 1984. I’d never heard of either of them and they were brilliant. Twenty five years later I don’t remember much about the play but I surely remember the ease and subtlety of their performances.
Ron Silver struck me then as an actor’s actor. He was very good, but you could kind of tell he was not headed for stardom. Because he didn’t fit into to any neat categories. Just like regular people. Which is part of what made home so appealing. It’s a shame he had to die so young.
So Young to die he was one of my favorite actors.
I also remember watching him on Rhoda.
He just seemed to love life just like Natasha Richardson who I hope pulls thru but it doesn’t look good. I don’t see why people have to trash someone for their politics…Vanessa Redgrave is one of the best actresses in the world and I remember reading about her and chuck Heaston…They didn’t let politics get in the way of working together.
“It’s too bad 9/11 apparently made so many perfectly rational-seeming people abdicate their rationality.”
Part of his reasoning was people like Michael Moore comparing Al Qaeda operatives bombing men women and children at places like Red Cross stations and mosques to the minutemen of the American revolution.
I would say rationality was on Mr Silver’s side.
RIP