For some reason, when I first saw the news, I got this Ron mixed up with another. I immediately thought of Ron Glass of "Barney Miller" fame. Wasn't he the only brotha on the show? Even though it wasn't him, it was still a Ron whose work I do admire.
Ron Silver died in his sleep this past Sunday after succumbing to a two-year long battle with esophageal cancer. He was only 62-years-old.
The write-up on Silver depicted him as a political activist. It wasn't something that I would ever equate with him, but apparently I must have slept on everything he had done. He was fairly active with the Democratic party until 9/11 saw him shift his allegiance to what he considered to be "politically independent". About as independent as you can be for someone backing Georgie for a second term in 2004 and even speaking at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York.
There was also mention of him having a significant part on "The West Wing". He could have played the President on the show and I wouldn't have known it. Despite all the awards and accolades it always garnered, I never watched a single show. So that wasn't how I knew him either.
What I remember is Silver as Kirstie Alley's sometimes love interest in the show "Veronica's Closet". Silver had a suave sort of sarcasm to him that few actors can pull off effectively. Although I was never a faithful viewer of the show, I always enjoyed his presence on there. It was because of his stint on there that I began noticing him even more when he popped up in feature films like playing Angelo Dundee in "Ali" or the judge in "Find Me Guilty".
Silver may not have ever been one of the A-list, but he was a definite talent that will be missed. Rest in peace, Ron.
