Ron Silver: A Great Friend, A Great Actor

The thing about Ron, the overwhelming thing, was the energy. I have never known anyone who could match Ron's energy. I never argued with him--I really only argue for money on TV--because I knew he could knock me over with the force of his energy before mounting his attack on my logic. I'll miss the energy almost as much as his artistry.

I used Ron when I met him. He was in the middle of his Tony Award winning run in Speed The Plow. He was at the best table at Orso, and I was at the second best. He smiled, got up and approached. I knew why. My table mates were my boss, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and his wife Liz. Ron got to meet the senator and I got to hit Ron up for tickets to the hottest show in town. Little did I know that twenty years of friendship with a great pal and an astonishing actor were to follow.

I'm one of the lucky ones who got to work with Ron. The West Wing was the perfect place for us to join forces professionally--a political operative got to write a political show and a political activist got to play a political operative. He had a great run of episodes, including an Emmy nomination, leading up to President Bartlet's reelection. Then there wasn't anything for his campaign consultant character to do for a few years of the show. I was always looking for ways to bring Ron back, mostly because I just missed him and knew we would have a great time together on the set. When we started the final presidential campaign of the series, I wrote Ron back into the show and had him change parties--no stretch there--so he could work with Alan Alda. Between takes, Ron poured his energy into laughing with Alan, and when action was called watching those two masters work was thrilling.

In the last two difficult years of his life, the energy was still there even as the voice was getting weaker. When I joined him as a guest on his radio show, I marveled at his strength, his bravery, his nobility in the face of an enemy that was trying to take away his energy. I wouldn't attempt to host a radio show if I had a headache and here Ron was doing it with cancer and an attitude that very clearly said, yeah, cancer, so what? Every time I saw him in the last two years, I thought it might be the last time, but we always had a plan to see each other again--see you at the White House Correspondents Dinner, see you in Denver, see you--and he always showed up. And, as Alan Alda told me on Sunday, he stayed funny til the end.

Comments

[alicerd]

Sorry about the passing of your friend, L.O. Sorry about semi-silly calls, too ... "in vino veritas"

[holeybuybull]

He was obviously a much better actor than I could have imagined. He actually convinced me that he fully embraced the policies of the Bush administration and was an ardent neocon. Who knew he was just "acting"?

[LMPE]

I figure that he was probably a good guy at heart, even if he sided with the Bush administration after 9/11.

[lewes17266]

Please accept my sincere condolences in the loss of your very gifted friend.

[michaelsmolder]

A good tribute ... He will be missed.

[Prattvictory2]

Ron Silver - Nice guy unless you're an Arab.

[Rosey]

I am sure he was a truly nice guy. And he was a very good actor.....but I never heard him explain why he was leaning inexorably to the right after being such a liberal...­....Lawren­ce?

[BlueZoo]

It's said that when we mourn, we grieve for ourselves the loss of the person who died and I believe it's particularly true of Ron Silver. This was an elegant tribute to the man and the actor. He was such a consummate actor, filled with the force of his convictions re the role(s) he played. I always watched anything he was in and I was always amply rewarded with a great performance. I'll miss him!

[ljmck]

I enjoyed watching Ron Silver. No argument about his acting, but his politics were especially disturbing.

You--in the business of politics--regard politics as a theory to play with and manipulate--a pretty bauble. It's your livelihood, but the consequences of your thoughts and actions apparently do not have the impact on your life that they do on mine and my neighbors.

To us, politics are deadly serious and affect real lives--not just the quality of lives--beyond your and Silver's understanding. Your political manipulations, so enjoyable for you, put our lives on the line.

Example, AIG. We hear about the one tenth of one percent being so insignificant, but that amount--that belongs to taxpayers, by the way--would make a significant difference in the lives of suffering people here. The recipients of those bonuses have so much and are so distant from the realities of the lives of the vast majority of people in this country that they don't see, can't relate to how serious this is. With or without the bonuses, they'll still be wealthy, while we, the payees, will not have homes, health, or food.

A single million could provide incredible relief here. So it's not a game and not a time for a paean. Under the circumstances, your glorification of Silver is obscene. Your failure to recognize the seriousness of today (yesterday’s politics) is beyond my understanding.

[Patriot1970]

Good actor REALLY warped political views, Israel before the US, shameful.

[Wozzeck]

Any actor that dares question Israel's treatment of the Palestinians will be blacklisted, as was Vanessa Redgrave. Any political commenter like the blogger who does the same wouldn't last a day on the air.

[SoonerThought]

Loved him on "Wiseguy," too.

[rabiddog6708]

I do not need to agree with a man to respect him. I certainly did not agree with Mr. SIlver when, I believe, he put the security of Israel ahead of America after 911 and supported the invasion of Iraq, but I never doubted he believed his reasons were just and that he was following his convictions. I thought he was a fine actor and very intelligent and I am sorry he he passed away, especially from Cancer, which takes too many friends and family members from us.

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

He was a very interesting fellow.

Terrific tribute, Lawrence!

[Sillypaws]

As always Mr. O'Donnell your words are elegant. I remember how angry you made me when you played Jed's father. It is a tribute to all of you that I got tired of waiting for re-runs on TV and purchased the entire set a month ago. To all involved it remains that shining beacon of light on the tube-soaring, thought provoking, amusing and entertaining. Thanks

[Pegi]

thanks for sharing Lawrence. West Wing is still one of my all time favorite shows. I am now into watching the reruns on Bravo. He certainly was a talent; loved his part in the show. Didn't care for his politics though when he switched from Dem to Repub. He will be missed. Sorry for your loss.