Ron Silver: One Of Hollywood's Best Makes His Exit

I had the biggest crush on Ron Silver. I remember watching him back in the day on "Rhoda". He played Rhoda Morgenstern's swinging single neighbor, Gary Levy. He'd stroll into the scene with his top two buttons undone and I was all atwitter at an age when I hadn't really gotten my twitter in gear. I watched him act for years and always knew that if I watched something with him in it that was he was going to give the performance his all. Whatever role he played, good or bad, he was sure to endow the character with a variety of facets. While he wasn't leading man handsome, he was blessed with subtle good looks and an ineffable sexiness and charm.

As founder of the Creative Coalition, a group that advocated for the rights of entertainers, Silver was no stranger to controversy. However in 2001, Silver who had been a lifelong democrat, switched sides, becoming what he called a "9/11 Republican". He was also an ardent supporter of George W Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Silver took a great deal of flack for his change in political stance. He spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention and according to the Huffington Post he felt that his right leaning stance caused him to lose work in Hollywood. Silver was quoted in a 2004 Associated Press interview as saying, "It's affected me very badly. I can't point to a person or a job I've lost, but this community is not very pluralistic. I haven't worked for 10 months." The Huffington Post adds further that some of Silver's on-screen work also "rankled liberals". He acted as narrator for "Farenhype 9/11". "Farenhype 9/11" was a counterpoint to Michael Moore's hugely successful documentary "Farenheit 9/11" which bashed George Bush and his role in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Silver referenced Michael Moore in his 2004 interview with the Associated Press. "Michael Moore and that faction of the party was one of the factors that did not let me support the Democratic nominee this year. He is a charlatan in a clown suit," Silver said of Moore.

Regardless his politics, Ron Silver left a body of work that spans the breadth of entertainment, from the stage to the screen. Silver got his start in acting on the New York City stages and won a Tony in 1988 for his work in Speed the Plow. Plow was David Mamet's caustic look at Hollywood's power brokers. He also won an Emmy for his portrayal of Ron Levin in the miniseries "Billionaire Boys Club". While Ron Silver is probably best known for his work on the small screen in such hits as the "The West Wing" and "Chicago Hope", his work also includes such large screen favorites as "Silkwood", "Ali" and "Reversal of Fortune". Ever the activist Silver served as President of the Actors' Equity Association. Most recently Silver had taken the helm of the eponymous Ron SilverShow on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show aired from 9-11 am on the Indie Talk channel. Silver leaves his parents, May and Irving Silver, two brothers, Mitchell and Keith and his children Alexandra and Adam from his marriage to Lynne Miller. Robin Bronk, who serves as executive director for The Creative Coalition, had this to say about Silver. "He was a talented actor, a scholar and a great believer in participatory democracy. He was an activist who became a great artist and his contributions will never be forgotten."

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/15/actoractivist-ron-silver-_n_175142.html

Wikipedia - Billionaire Boys Club - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gamsky

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Silver