It’s
always a sad day when an actor who has brought joy to the world of TV and
movies passes away. Therefore, to wake up to two stars dying is particularly
difficult.
Firstly,
Friends fans will recognize Ron
Leibman
as Rachel’s father. Particularly frosty towards Ross, he played an important
role and was involved in one of the funniest episodes when the gang were
desperately trying to keep Rachel’s parents apart…by throwing two parties just
across the hall from one another.
In
total, Leibman had over 50 acting credits and the first was way back in 1956.
As a youngster on the screen, he was involved in The Edge of Night where
he played Johnny. However, he had to wait some time before he officially ‘made it’.
In the years after his first role, he acted on Broadway. In 1970, he appeared
in his first film Where’s Poppa?. Then, everything changed in 1970 when
he acted alongside Sally Field in Norma Rae.
Over
the years, he won the Outstanding Actor Drama Desk Award as well as the Best
Actor in a Play Tony Award. Although Kaz only showed on our screens for
a short while, this led to a Primetime Emmy Award for Liebman. Finally, we
should also mention his appearance as Morris Huffner in Christmas Eve.
For Best Supporting Actor, this actually earned him a nomination at the Golden
Globe Awards.
More
recently, alongside Rachel’s
father in Friends,
many Archer fans appreciated his voice acting as he played a love
interest for Malory Archer, Ron Cadillac. Sadly, he died at the age of 82 on
Friday; no further information has been released.
Star
Trek Actor Dies at 79
At
the age of 79, Robert Walker Jr has also died. Again, the cause of death is
unknown, but we do know he passed away in Malibu, California on Thursday. As
the son of Jennifer Jones (an Oscar winner) and Robert Walker, his most famous
role came on Star Trek where he appeared in The
Original Series.
In
just the second episode, as Americans were growing accustomed to what would go
on to become an international phenomenon, Walker Jr played Charlie X. For those
who haven’t seen the series, he is rescued as the sole survivor of a shuttle
crash. Soon after, however, it’s realized that he has special powers.
Away
from Star Trek, Walker Jr also appeared on Colombo, Bonanza, Murder,
She Wrote, and Charlie’s Angels. Though more prevalent on TV, this
doesn’t mean he didn’t appear on the silver screen from time to time. In
addition to Young Billy Young, he acted in Easy Rider.
Sad
Day for Hollywood
Yesterday,
we reported on the successes of Joker and Frozen 2 (INTERNAL
LINK). Often, it’s easy to forget the history of film and TV. Thankfully,
actors like Ron Leibman and Robert Walker Jr laid the foundations for what we
appreciate today. We send our best wishes to the families and friends of both
stars.
