Comments on: Ron Silver R.I.P.: An Appreciation

By: Jimmy Arone

Jimmy Arone — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:29:40 +0000

I agree, Stuart…the man was a mensch. A force of nature. A gifted soul who touched so many lives along the way. My condolences to his family and friends. My thanks to Mr. Chetwynd for his fine tribute.

I believe it was the late Kim Stanley who once said, "Actors are vessels from God"

Ron Silver was truly such a man.

May he forever rest in peace.

By: Stuart Weiss

Stuart Weiss — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:07:28 +0000

Mr. Semel,
I'll be joining you in that toast tonight. First fell in-love with Ron Silver in Garbo Talks. Can't say how many times I've watched that film and each screening as fresh and beautiful as the first. Nobody might have played Ann Bancroft's son as Silver in that film. Always the mensch the sweetness coming through. I'll miss his work, intelligence and personal honesty as perhaps no other actor I've known.
Stuart Weiss

By: John Q

John Q — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:02:49 +0000

Ron Silver was someone whose work I always admired. I had no idea of his politics until yesterday, but I always felt there was a depth and character to the man than came through. Learning of his deeply held beliefs and his courage to go against the grain, then, did not surprise me.

By: John Q

John Q — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:00:27 +0000

Not so much a reply to maatkare but to the general idea of posthumous awards and the relative status of Ron Silver vs. Heath Ledger. First, nothing wrong with an award given after someone's death. If the guy rated an award for his work, so be it. Heath Ledger was a fine actor; apparently he got mixed up in something problematic and it killed him. Who knows what Ledger might have become if he'd been around as long as Silver. But to compare the two, or suggest that Ledger was greater in stature, is comparing apples and oranges. Silver had a very long and distinguished career in the movie business and was involved with so many aspects of the business that he could be considered one the "quiet giants" of showbiz. He's keeping good company with guys like Jack Klugman and Andy Griffith. In generations to come, Silver's work will endure. Ledger did not have the time to become more than a bright flash in the pan, which is tragic. In fact, when I heard of Ledger's death, my feeling was that it sucked we had lost yet another promising actor. Silver's departure makes it yet another.

By: Schizoid_Mann

Schizoid_Mann — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:02:40 +0000

Thank you truly for these fine words.

Many folks in the entertainment field, and not, think Ron Silver changed when he supported the Republican ticket, and Bush in particular, after 9/11. He didn't change. He continued his limitless passion as an American in the best way he saw fit. What changed was his party. As Reagan joked after his switch, 'I didn't leave the party, they left me." How true that was with Ron Silver. When we were attacked, so boldly and so destructively and so effectively, well, he knew from that day on, and probably with more than a hint in earlier days, that his party, the party of JFK, the party that would have regarded the 9/11 attacks on our soil as an unequivocal act of war, and not, as so many celebrity friends of his suggested, merely a case for the International Criminal Court, had slipped into a shell of its former self where firmness was replaced with apologies and actions had no consequences. Ron didn't change his politics. He just realized that the horse he had backed for so long had wobbly legs and a weak stomach.

Rest in Peace, Ron. You will be missed but not forgotten. Your work lives on.

By: George Semel

George Semel — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:48:22 +0000

Well I am going to Watch Garbo Talks on DVD tonight, and I am going to pour myself a single malt and drink a toast to his memory.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:47:16 +0000

A fine actor and ,more importantly, a fine man, who spoke his mind irrespective of the consequences to himself. Since it's St. Patrick's day I thought I'd post an old Irish blessing my dear Grandmother was fond of:

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face.

And rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Godspeed, Mr. Silver

By: LawhawkSF

LawhawkSF — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:23:09 +0000

I had just read the announcement of Ron Silver's passing when the pilot for the series "Kings" came on. I heard a familiar gravelly voice trying to convince the conniving king that wars should be fought only for the right reasons. It was Ron Silver in one of his last parts. It made me doubly sad.

Ron Silver was one of those actors who was so good at his craft that I could separate his politics from his acting. He was a doctrinaire liberal, and he argued his case well. After September 11, he saw the folly of attempting to reason with terrorists out to destroy everything we stand for. He altered his political views, and as before, argued his case well. I've already seen a few grudging eulogies from the left, including saying he was a great actor whose vision was clouded by his support for Israel. What a way to say goodbye to a great actor and a fine man. I see it differently. He moved from being a liberal Democrat to being a moderate Republican with very conservative national security ideas. But they missed the most important part. He was always a patriot. And a great actor.

By: USS Ben

USS Ben — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:55:18 +0000

I first saw him in Silent Rage. Great actor and a good man. He will be missed. Thanks for the words of appreciation for Ron Silver.

By: Gordon Winslow

Gordon Winslow — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:34:07 +0000

Mr. Chetwynd:

Good to see you posting here. I wish the occasion was happier.

Mr. Silver exuded decency. Somehow, I could just tell that he was a good person, without ever having met him. Everything I've read about him since his passing confirms that my impression was right.

Watching him at the Republican convention, where he risked being scorned by his peers and maybe losing job opportunities to do what he believed was best for the country he loved, is something I'll never forget.