Ron Silver R.I.P.: An Appreciation

by Lionel Chetwynd

In the entertainment industry, friendships are a sometime thing: they bloom with each new project and too often, disappear in the breeze of first reviews.  But when Ron Silver entered your life it was for keeps; his love of life, his energy, his exuberant generosity, and his extraordinary breadth of mind made him someone whom you never wished to let go.

We first met many years ago in a Chinese restaurant whose name was known only to him, deep in the regions of downtown Manhattan.  He ordered off-menu in what was clearly imperfect Cantonese, but done with such conviction and commitment the waiter succumbed and willed himself to understand Ron’s every word (we later discovered he was a new hire from Taiwan who spoke only Mandarin but Ron was irresistible in any language)  In those early days our politics were antipodal (Ron would want that word in his appreciation and would not want its use marred by an in-text definition)  He still burned with the revolutionary zeal of the 60s, a fever that had drawn him to travel across the world in pursuit of an original ambition to become a diplomat — only to discover his kismet lay elsewhere (Kismet? He liked this kind of talk).  But even as an actor, the calling of public service was always close at hand.  It was perfectly logical that he became President of Actor’s Equity and equally predictable that, in that job, he would become the strong heroic voice of much needed change in the way that artists and management related and also lead Equity into the new era of collective bargaining and job definition – perhaps the first union leader to really understand what the 21st century would mean.  Almost obsessed with the millennium it made sense that his e-mail address would be NYC2K.  I looked forward to the Davos Conference each year, not for the pompous speeches of the world leaders but for Ron’s amusing pin-pricking of their hot-air balloons. 

And then came 9/11.  Ron had always been a “radical centrist” – someone who clung to the belief that the radical solutions could be found by driving the issues to a consensus that satisfied no one yet benefited all.  By the early hours of 9/12 he concluded that despite all the goodwill in the world there were forces loose with whom there could never be compromise….that the human imperfections which have given us the horrors of World War II were again alive and well in other garments.  It was never a matter of party or political allegiance.  It was only about love of country – indeed of western civilization, whose classics and aspirations he knew so well.  Having grasped this truth, he followed its logic with uncommon courage leading to the stage of the Republican convention, a place where the people of our profession rarely wish to be seen.  But he was never one to shirk from the battle; he was the good soldier always ready to shoulder his share of the burden no matter how onerous.  He was a truth-seeker. 

I have yet to address the major portion of his greatness: his extraordinary gift as an actor.  In this role, above all, was where we saw Ron the truth seeker.  Ron and I had long hoped to work together but problems of timing and scheduling had made that a very elusive dream.  But finally, in the early 90s, there came the perfect storm, and we were able to collaborate on Kissinger and Nixon.  In a long and durable career I have had the good fortune to work with some of the greatest talents of my day; but never have I encountered an actor as committed to his role as Ron was to Kissinger.  He did not imitate; on the contrary, as all good actors do, he found his own central truth about the man he was playing and internalized it.  But then in some strange alchemy that happens so very rarely, that internalization disappeared, the mantle of Henry Kissinger fell across the actor’s shoulders, and he became the man.  He did not portray him; he channeled him.  It was as powerful an illusion as any magic I had ever seen.  We would gather on the set to watch him go mano-a-mano with Beau Bridges, see how every inflection, every gesture was part of a perfect whole.  In his work as an actor, he infused each moment and line with the DNA of the whole creature.  There would be no false notes, no inconsistencies.  His work was seamless.  True art. 

But watch any Ron Silver film and you will see the mark of that genius is not limited to playing Kissinger.  You will see it in every performance to which he ever lent his craft.  He was as great as any of his day and much more. 

I will miss him dreadfully.  I will miss his cleverness, his biting sarcasm, his warmth and friendly concern, I will miss his love, I will miss the excitement of waiting for the revelation of his next performance.  And all Hollywood is impoverished by the passing of Ron Silver, a man of great courage, clear vision, a true artist who is a model for all who seek to balance career with integrity and plain human decency. 

Death enjoyed a rich harvest Saturday night; I shall remember this truly great man.  Ron Silver, Alla v’shalom.


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Posted Mar 16th 2009 at 12:36 pm in Featured Story, News, Politics | 38 Comments