George Segal obit

George Segal Dies: Oscar-Nominated Actor & ‘The Goldbergs’ Star Was 87

 

He was not on the list.

George Segal, the Oscar-nominated actor whose credits range from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Where’s Poppa? to Just Shoot Me! and The Goldbergs, died today in Santa Rosa, CA, of complications from bypass surgery. He was 87.

His wife, Sonia Segal confirmed the news. “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery,” she said in a statement.

For the past eight years, Segal had been a series regular on ABC’s 1980s-set family comedy The Goldbergs. The last episode he filmed before his death, Episode 16 of the show’s current eighth season, is set to air April 7. The series is expected to pay tribute to Segal on-air.

Segal probably is best known for his TV sitcom role as magazine publisher Jack Gallo on NBC’s Just Shoot Me!, which earned him two Golden Globe nominations, and as family patriarch Albert “Pops” Solomon on The Goldbergs. He also headlined the late-’80s ABC detective drama Murphy’s Law, the 1987 CBS comedy Take Five and TV Land sitcom Retired at 35.

But Segal also was an Oscar nominee for Mike Nichols’ 1966 Edward Albee adaptation Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — co-starring opposite A-listers Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton — and a leading man in movies. He starred in films by such legends as Stanley Kramer (Ships of Fools, 1965), Roger Corman (The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, 1967), Sidney Lumet (Bye Bye Braverman, 1968), Carl Reiner (Where’s Poppa?, 1970), Herbert Ross (The Owl and the Pussycat, 1970), Paul Mazursky (Blume in Love, 1973) and Robert Altman (California Split, 1974).

He also starred in two films by writer-director Melvin Frank — 1973’s A Touch of Class, opposite Glenda Jackson, and 1976’s The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox, with Goldie Hawn — and opposite Barbra Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), which she also directed.

Segal’s many other big screen credits include King Rat, The Terminal Man, The Black Bird, Fun with Dick and Jane, Russian Roulette, Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, All’s Fair, Time of Darkness, For the Boys, two Look Who’s Talking films and David O. Russell’s Flirting with Disaster.

Among his first film credits were The Young Doctors (1961) and an Army Ranger role in The Longest Day, the 1962 D-Day epic starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Peter Lawford, Eddie Albert, Rod Steiger, Robert Wagner, Red Buttons, Steve Forrest and a pre-Bond Sean Connery.

Born on February 13, 1934, in Great Neck, NY, Segal did a stint in the military before getting his start on the small screen, guesting on shows including Naked City, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and Arrest and Trial.

He also had a handful of Broadway roles, starring with John Lithgow in the 1985 adaptation of Rod Serling’s Requiem for a Heavyweight and 1999’s Art with Alan Alda, Victor Garber and Alfred Molina.

Along with his Academy Award nomination, Segal was a five-time Golden Globe nominee and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

 

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       Role       Director                Notes

1961      The Young Doctors          Dr. Howard         Phil Karlson        

1962      The Longest Day               U.S. Army Ranger             Ken Annakin

Andrew Marton   Bernhard Wicki             

1963      Act One                Lester Sweyd     Dore Schary       

1964      Invitation to a Gunfighter             Matt Weaver     Richard Wilson

1964      The New Interns               Dr. Tony "Shiv" Parelli    John Rich            

1965      King Rat                Corporal King     Bryan Forbes     

1965      Ship of Fools       David     Stanley Kramer

1966      Lost Command Lt. Mahidi            Mark Robson    

1966      Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Nick       Mike Nichols     

1966      The Quiller Memorandum            Quiller Michael Anderson          

1967      The St. Valentine's Day Massacre              Peter Gusenberg              Roger Corman  

1968      Bye Bye Braverman         Morroe Rieff      Sidney Lumet    

1968      No Way to Treat a Lady Morris Brummel               Jack Smight        

1968      The Girl Who Couldn't Say No     Franco Franco Brusati  

1969      The Bridge at Remagen Lieutenant Phil Hartman               John Guillermin                

1969      The Southern Star            Dan Rockland     Sidney Hayers   

1970      Loving   Brooks Wilson   Irvin Kershner   

1970      Where's Poppa?               Gordon Hocheiser            Carl Reiner         

1970      The Owl and the Pussycat             Felix       Herbert Ross     

1971      Born to Win        J              Ivan Passer         

1972      The Hot Rock     Kelp       Peter Yates        

1973      Blume in Love    Stephen Blume Paul Mazursky  

1973      A Touch of Class                Steve Blackburn                Melvin Frank     

1974      The Terminal Man            Harry Benson     Mike Hodges     

1974      California Split   Bill Denny            Robert Altman  

1975      Russian Roulette              Shaver Lou Lombardo  

1975      The Black Bird    Sam Spade Jr.    David Giler         

1976      The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox          Charlie "Dirtwater Fox" Malloy   Melvin Frank     

1977      Fun with Dick and Jane Dick Harper         Ted Kotcheff     

1977      Rollercoaster      Harry Calder       James Goldstone             

1978      Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?              Robby Ross         Ted Kotcheff     

1979      Lost and Found Adam    Melvin Frank     

1980      The Last Married Couple in America         Jeff Thompson Gilbert Cates     

1981      Carbon Copy      Walter Whitney                Michael Schultz                

1982      Killing 'em Softly               Jimmy Skinner   Max Fischer       

1985      Stick       Barry     Burt Reynolds   

1988      Run for Your Life               Alan Morani       Terence Young

1989      Look Who's Talking          Albert    Amy Heckerling                

1989      All's Fair               Colonel                 Rocky Lang         

1991      For the Boys       Art Silver              Mark Rydell       

1991      Time of Darkness              Grigory Vladimir Alenikov            

1992      Me Myself & I    Buddy Arnett     Pablo Ferro        

1992      Un orso chiamato Arturo              Billy        Sergio Martino

1993      Joshua Tree        Lt. Franklin L. Severence               Vic Armstrong   

1993      Look Who's Talking Now               Albert    Tom Ropelewski               Cameo

1994      Direct Hit             James Tronson Joseph Merhi     Video

1995      To Die For            Conference Speaker       Gus Van Sant      Uncredited

1995      The Babysitter   Bill Holsten         Guy Ferland        Video

1995      The Feminine Touch        Senator "Beau" Ashton Conrad Janis       Video

1995      Deep Down         Gil           John Travers       Video

1996      It's My Party       Paul Stark            Randal Kleiser   

1996      Flirting with Disaster       Ed Coplin             David O. Russell               

1996      The Cable Guy   Steven's Father Ben Stiller           

1996      The Mirror Has Two Faces            Henry Fine          Barbra Streisand              

2005      Heights                 Rabbi Mendel    Chris Terrio        

2005      Chutzpuh, This Is?            Dr. Dreck             Rick Kent             Short film

2005      Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone                Albagon                Davis Doi             Video

Voice

2007      Three Days to Vegas       Dominic Spinuzzi              Charlie Picerni  

2007      My Wife Is Retarded       Julie's father       Etan Cohen         Short film

2009      2012      Tony Delgatto    Roland Emmerich            

2009      Made for Each Other      Mr. Jacobs           Daryl Goldberg

2010      Love & Other Drugs         Dr. James Randall             Edward Zwick    

2010      Ollie Klublershturf vs. the Nazis Elliott Klublershturf         Skot Bright          Short film

2014      The Tale of the Princess Kaguya Inbe no Akita      Isao Takahata     English dub

Voice

2014      Elsa & Fred          John       Michael Radford              

 

Stage

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1961–1962          Gideon Purah    Broadway

1963      Rattle of a Simple Man   Ricard   Broadway

1985      Requiem for a Heavyweight        Maish Resnick    Broadway

1993      The Fourth Wall                Roger    Chicago

1998–1999          Art          Serge     Broadway

2001      Art          Serge     West End

2007      Heroes Gustave               Los Angeles

2007      Prophesy and Honor       Col. Sherman Moreland                 Honolulu

2008      Secret Order       Saul Roth             Los Angeles

 

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1960      The Play of the Week      Don/ Innkeeper                2 episodes

1960–1962          Armstrong Circle Theatre              Various                 2 episodes

1962      The United States Steel Hour      Pete       1 episode

1963      Channing             Andre    1 episode

1963      Naked City          Jerry Costell        1 episode

1963      The Alfred Hitchcock Hour            Larry Duke          1 episode

1963–1964          The Doctors and the Nurses         Dr. Novak/ Dr. Harry Warren       2 episodes

1964      Arrest and Trial Jack Wisner        1 episode

1966      Death of a Salesman       Biff Loman           Television film

1967      The Desperate Hours      Glenn Griffin      Television film

1968      Of Mice and Men             George Television film

1973      The Lie Andrew                Television film

1980      My Friend Winnetou       Gottlieb                Miniseries

1982      The Deadly Game             Howard Trapp   Television film

1983      Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer   John Grafton      Television film

1984      The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood        Robin Hood        Television film

1984      The Cold Room Hugh Martin       Television film

1985      Not My Kid          Dr. Frank Bower                Television film

1986      Many Happy Returns      William "Bud" Robinson                Television film

1987      Take Five             Andy Kooper      Series regular  6 episodes

1988–1989          Murphy's Law    Daedalus Patrick Murphy              Series regular

13 episodes

1989      The Endless Game           Mr. Miller            Miniseries 2 episodes

1993      Murder, She Wrote         Dave Novaro      1 episode

1993      Taking the Heat                 Kepler   Television film

1993–1995          The Larry Sanders Show                Himself                 2 episodes

1994      Seasons of the Heart       Ezra Goldstine   Television film

1994      Following Her Heart        Harry     Television film

1994      High Tide             Gordon                 7 episodes

1994      Picture Windows              Ted Varnas          Miniseries  1 episode

1994      Burke's Law        Ben Zima             1 episode

1994      Aaahh!!! Real Monsters                J.B.         Voice   1 episode

1995–1997          The Naked Truth               Fred Wilde          4 episodes

1996      The Making of a Hollywood Madam         Leo         Television film

1996      Adventures from the Book of Virtues       Eli           Voice   1 episode

1996–1997          The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest       Dr. Benton C. Quest        Voice

24 episodes

1997      Tracey Takes On...            Harry Rosenthal                5 episodes

1997      Caroline in the City          Bob Anderson   1 episode

1997–2003          Just Shoot Me! Jack Gallo            Series regular  148 episodes

1998      Houdini                Martin Beck        Television film

2000      The Linda McCartney Story          Lee Eastman       Television film

2001      The Zeta Project               Dr. Eli Zelig          1 episode Voice

2003      Law & Order: Special Victims Unit             Dr. Roger Tate   1 episode

2003      The Electric Piper             Mayor Nick Dixon             Television film   Voice

2005      Fielder's Choice                 JD           Television film

2007      Private Practice                 Wendell Parker 1 episode

2007      The War at Home             Sid          1 episode

2007      Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure   Horror   Voice   Television film

2008      Boston Legal       Paul Cruickshank              1 episode

2009      Pushing Daisies Roy "Buster" Bustamante             1 episode

2009      Entourage           Murray Berenson             3 episodes

2010      Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated         Peter Trickell      Voice  1 episode

2011–2012          Retired at 35      Alan Robbins      Series regular   20 episodes

2012      American Dad! Bernie   Voice  1 episode

2013–2021          The Goldbergs   Albert "Pops" Solomon Series regular   179 episodes

2018      The Simpsons    Nick       Voice  Episode: "Heartbreak Hotel"