I was just thinking that it was rather odd that we're this far into the new year without any notable celebrity deaths. And by "notable" I mean celebrities that I would actually recognize. Then I came across this one that I missed last nearly two weeks ago.
Character actor Ned Wertimer, known to fans of "The Jeffersons" as the doorman Ralph Hart passed away January 2 from complications stemming from a fall he sustained in his Burbank home in late November. He was 89-years-old.
I saw in his bio that Hart had a wide variety of appearances in other shows all of us 70s babies know. Joints like "WRKP in Cincinnati" and "Mork and Mindy". The latter is rather interesting because dude did rather favor the dad in that show. I first thought that was him too. But I'm sure that cat passed away long ago and it was yet another character actor that I missed.
I always hoped as "The Jeffersons" came to a close that we would learn that Ralph the doorman was actually loaded. Mainly from all the extra tips he fleeced from all the tenants in the building. And perhaps he even had a penthouse in that same building as a result of all the loot he had hoarded. Did "The Jeffersons" even have a series finale? Regardless, they certainly missed the boat on that one. I would still like to think that's how the Ralph character faded off into the sunset.
The thing about these type of passings is they're hard to pinpoint. The folks that aren't the big named stars never got much pub even when their show was popular. Therefore, when they eventually fade out of the limelight...and even pass away...it's with little fanfare. No telling how many more like these I've missed over the years. Glad I caught this one.
Rest in peace, Ned.
