Ron Silver, actor and political activist, died yesterday, after struggling two years with esophageal cancer. He was 62 years old.
One of the milestones in Ron Silver’s career as an actor was the winning of a Tony Award for his performance in “Speed-The-Plow”, on Broadway. In that play, Silver was sharing the stage with Madonna and Joe Mantegna. Other noticeable performances were “Silkwood”, “Timecop”, “Reversal of Fortune” and “Garbo Talks”, where he performed together with Anne Brancroft. Many people remember him, as well as Anjelica Huston from Paul Mazursky’s “Enemies: A Love Story”.
While there’s no doubt Ron Silver will be remembered for his acting, he will also be on many people’s minds as the co-founder of the One Jerusalem organization and of the Creative Coalition.
In February 2008, he started hosting a weekly radio program aimed at politics, The Ron Silver Show, on Sirius Satellite Radio.
I’m sorry to say this, but it makes me think that we ought to get screened for esophageal cancer every 1-2 years, after 40-50 years of age. Esophageal and colon cancer can be treated if they are diagnosed early. Too bad this implies undergoing endoscopy and colonoscopy, which not all people can easily stand.
