comment #1

BurmaShave says ...

I respect being scared to death by 9/11 and making the wrong choice much more than say Ronald Reagan looking at his balance sheet and deciding this country didn't deserve the money he was giving it. And he was always able to articulate himself forcefully and well. My opinion of him as one of the smartest around was not diminished. Too soon, and two years is too long to suffer for such an outcome. Not fair.

comment #2

Movie fan09 says ...

It's kind of ironic that he played a lot of corporate villians.

comment #3

scooterzz says ...

i love the phrase '9/11 republican'.... who else besides silver and dennis miller?....anybody?

comment #4

Wes Caline says ...

Zucker, David.

comment #5

TVMCCA says ...

scooterzz wrote:
i love the phrase '9/11 republican'.... who else besides silver and dennis miller?....anybody?

To my mind, Miller was turning red-state even before the Sept. 11 attacks.

comment #6

TVMCCA says ...

To answer scooterzz question:
I think David Zucker probably would fall under the 9/11 Republican category too.

comment #7

dinovelvet says ...

Perhaps this place is a bit too "high thread count" to declare that Ron ripped shit up in Timecop, but I'm saying it anyway, yo!

comment #8

BurmaShave says ...

Ron Silver was all about giving great performances in silly genre films. TIMECOP, THE ARRIVAL, especially BLUE STEEL. Tore shit up indeed. Though of course public perception turned against him after his pageboy haircut in LIVE WIRE. I'd like to say I could forgive him for it, but that's not going to happen.

comment #9

BurmaShave says ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC8zC8vORqI

Damn I really am going to miss him. RIP.

comment #10

GiveMeTheMapScott says ...

the man was great in West Wing, especially on Election Night (his final episode) when C.J. was distracting him from Ashley

he always gave it his all.....Timecop was one of my favorite guilty-pleasure movies in my teenage years; I watched Veronica's Closet because what else was I supposed to do for half an hour before ER (and I thought he was nicely oily and way better than that show deserved but I am still a big wallace langham fan)

comment #11

GiveMeTheMapScott says ...

by Election Night i meant "Process Stories" 11-13-02

the last episode of his first arc on the series, he was of course welcomed back in '05

i know it seems anal-retentive to clarify this but you all know someone would have been bitch enough to quibble about it just to have something to say. oh no!!! was that a run-on sentence???? stop reading immediately!!!!! the point of my post has been negated because there were too many words before a punctuation mark!!!!!!

comment #12

JohnCope says ...

"...history will not judge him kindly."

LOL. Depends on who's writing the history.

comment #13

JT says ...

I liked the guy's work and I admire him for speaking up for what he believes in. Few can shake off the shackles of their liberalism to see the light, or vice versa. Xause, guess what folks? In this country, we believe in freedom and having the right to stand up and say what we believe in, even if we don't agree with who's doing it. I don't care if the man was a GOPer or a left wing, bleeding heart like Wells. His memory isn't tarnished because of his eliefs cause I DIDN't KNOW HIM. I don't care what some actor believes or doesn't believe in. Was he great in REVERSAL OF FORTUNE? Great. That's allthat matters. RIP, Sir.

comment #14

Luke Y. Thompson says ...

As much as I disagree with Silver's recent politics, I give him props for going around the country espousing them while privately dying of cancer.

He could have milked his condition for sympathy, but refused, letting the ideas stand on their own. I don't care much for the ideas, but I respect that.

comment #15

Josh Massey says ...

"He was an asshole, an asshole, an asshole, an asshole, an asshole. Let's try and remember him in a pre-asshole light."

comment #16

Jeremy Fassler says ...

I recently watched Silver on Joe Scarborough (we're talking right after the GOP Convention) and while I may completely disagree with his politics, he was an articulate man--something I can't say for Rush Fatass. And he was also terrific in the final seasons of West Wing, where he was basically playing himself.

comment #17

Manitoba says ...

I share Jeff's thoughts on poor Ron Silver. Mention of Dennis Miller by TVMCCA as a Republican,brings back memories of a classic example of Miller's past political judgement. He had a flirtation with billionaire Texas businessman Ross Perot, who sought the presidency in 1992 and 96.Miller became convinced that Perot was the answer for the USA. That is until even he gradually woke up to the fact Perot was a bit of a loon . Only then did Miller crawl back to the GOP.

comment #18

Rich S. says ...

I, for one, am relieved to hear that Hollywood Elsewhere has been declared the final arbiter of "the public mind." It's so much easier, when I am unsure of where I stand on a particular issue, to simply come to HE and have it determined for me.

comment #19

Michael says ...

Wells is a Pauline Kael kind of guy. The liberal mind IS the public mind. A 'no one I knew voted for Nixon' circle of friends, clearly.

comment #20

PCP_Patriots says ...

Politics should not be a thought here. All that matters is a man passed at a young age. RIP.

comment #21

JT says ...

Rich S., if that is the case, just ask yourself WWJW do? of course, if you just think of the most liberal, bleeding heart, pinko thing, then you'll already know.

comment #22

Mike says ...

What I will remember is the great performances, especially on The West Wing. His politics (and every other actor's politics) mean zero to me. This was an actor who never really got the great roles he was capable of. Rest in Peace.

comment #23

Mowkeka says ...

Silver's greatest quality was the grace with which he faced his political opponents, unlike the modern, immature, childish liberals.

"But I greatly admired Silver before he became a right-wing Frankenstein hard-ass."

I mean, serious, writing something like that the day someone died? Talk about shaming yourself...

comment #24

JT says ...

He was also in that not-s-great Charlie Sheen sci-fi pic? I remember loving how he said his race was helping us destroy ourselves faster, but that we would end up doing it anyway. A great line and a good scene, too.

comment #25

BurmaShave says ...

"If you can't tend to your own planet, you don't deserve to live here"

comment #26

bluetide says ...

As a waffling independent during the 2004 election, I watched both conventions in their entirety. The closest I ever came to voting for Bush was at the end of Ron Silver's convention speech. The guy is amazing in the West Wing. I'm still working my way through Season 3, but he's one of the best things about the show so far.

comment #27

crazyeight says ...

I greatly admired Wells before he became a left-wing politcs-obsessed hard-ass. Let's try and remember him in a pre-Hollywood Elsewhere light.

comment #28

rr3333 says ...

He was great in 'Rhoda' as well. Seriously.

Lets not talk about his politics on the day he has passed. Its inappropriate.

comment #29

JT says ...

crazy8: thos days are long, long gone. Dead and over. Anyone else long for the "movie only" posts he'd do for Mr.Showbiz? Classic stuff. Tis a shame.

comment #30

Gordie Lachance says ...

Sorry to hear about Ron's passing.

I had no idea of his political affiliation until today because it's really none of my business and I DON'T GIVE A FUCK.

comment #31

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Considering his comments last fall, it's very possible if he had lived longer he would have returned to the Lefty fold.

It was clear he thought in the end the Bush era had been a bad thing for both the country and the Republican party, especially the deregulation part. He thought the GOP needed to appraise itself and regroup to more moderate version which it is clearly not going to do if Rush has anything to say about it.

Hence, given the choice between that dysfunction and fiscally moderate Obama Admin that is serious about terrorism, it's not hard to imagine him going back.

comment #32

stillwater says ...

The day after he dies you would "like to forgive him" for espousing a different political opinion than yours, and espousing it in a thoughtful and well-articulated way? How very kind of you to find it in your heart to want to forgive him.

comment #33

George Prager says ...

Ron Silver R.I.P.

Am I the only one who thought that "The West Wing" sucked? Everyone except Martin Sheen spoke in a monotone and they never blinked.

comment #34

TVMCCA says ...

In terms of Ron Silver's film career, his fine work in Paul Mazursky's ENEMIES: A LOVE STORY shouldn't be forgotten.

comment #35

bmcintire says ...

Lucky for Silver he was never in anything of Bob Clark's, or it would have gotten really ugly.

comment #36

polarbear2 says ...

Having a political opinion isn't something that needs to be forgiven, not in this country.
Every celebrity, if they have a brain, has an opinion. It doesn't mean anything to me. If they are well spoken, I'll listen to their piece, or whatever special interest or cause they are championing. They probably won't change my mind. But it won't change my mind about them as actors either.