fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

David Lawrence Groh[1] (May 21, 1939 – February 12, 2008)[2] was an American actor best known for his portrayal of Joe Gerard in the 1970s television series Rhoda, opposite Valerie Harper.

David Groh
Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern (left) and Groh as Joe in Rhoda
Born	David Lawrence Groh (1939-05-21)May 21, 1939 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	February 12, 2008(2008-02-12) (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film, television actor
Years active	1969–2008
Spouse(s)	Denise Arsenault (1984 – ?; annulled) Karla Pergande (1988 – ?; divorced) Kristin Andersen (? – 2008; his death)
Children	1

Early life and career

Groh was born in Brooklyn, the son of Mildred and Benjamin Groh.^{[citation needed]} He had a sister, Marilyn.[3] He attended Brooklyn Technical High School, then enrolled at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he graduated with a degree in English literature.[3]

He performed with the American Shakespeare Theatre, then went to Great Britain to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art on a Fulbright scholarship, and served in the United States Army from 1963 to 1964.[3] On his return to New York City, he studied at The Actors Studio.[4] He made his television debut in silent walk-on parts in two episodes of the Gothic daytime soap opera Dark Shadows on ABC in 1968, but did not garner fame until Rhoda.

Career

Groh co-starred in the sitcom Rhoda in which he played Joe Gerard, a New York City building demolition company owner who met and married Rhoda Morgenstern, the best friend of Mary Richards from CBS's The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The show premiered September 9, 1974 and Joe and Rhoda married in the seventh episode. The network gave the marriage much advance publicity, and the episode proved a ratings blockbuster, having drawn some 50 million viewers[5] to become one of television's most-watched single episodes.

In season three, the couple separated and later divorced. Groh was dropped to recurring status during season three, and he made only a few guest appearances that season before being written out of the show entirely. According to Valerie Harper, Groh was written out of the show when the producers decided that Rhoda worked better with its star as a single woman. "We all felt very bad about David not continuing," she said. The two remained lifelong friends.[6] However, this change was not embraced by the show's audience and ratings began to decline sharply. Rhoda was eventually canceled in the fall of 1978. Groh starred in his own series, opposite Joan Hackett, in the short-lived Another Day, in the spring of 1978 and went on to make his Broadway theatre debut in Neil Simon's Chapter Two.

From 1983 to 1985, Groh played D.L. Brock in the ABC soap opera General Hospital, leaving the show to appear in the off Broadway play Be Happy for Me (1986). The New York Times drama critic Frank Rich found Groh "completely convincing as the brash gold-chain-and-bikini-clad Lothario".[3] Other New York City theater credits include Road Show (1987), and The Twilight of the Golds (1993).

On television, Groh appeared in guest roles on such series as Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, L.A. Law, Baywatch, Law & Order, Murder, She Wrote, Melrose Place, The X-Files, and JAG. His film career includes appearances in Two-Minute Warning (1976), Smash-Up on Interstate 5 (1976), Victory at Entebbe (1976), A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich (1978), The Dream Merchants (1980), The Return of Superfly (1990), Get Shorty (1995),9 and several independent films.

Personal life

Groh was a serious collector of antique furniture and folk art,[5] much of which he kept in a second home in Connecticut. He mainly resided, however, in Santa Monica, California, where he lived with his third wife, Kristin, and his son Spencer [3] (by his second wife, Karla Pergande).^{[citation needed]}

Death

Groh died of kidney cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, on February 12, 2008, at the age of 68.[2]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	Colpo rovente	Don Carbo
1972	The Irish Whiskey Rebellion	Maxie
1976	Two-Minute Warning	Al
1976	Smash-Up on Interstate 5	Dale	TV movie
1976	Victory at Entebbe	Benjamin Wise	TV movie
1978	A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich	Cohen
1980	The Dream Merchants	Rocco Salvatore	2 episodes
1986	Hotshot	Jerry Norton
1990	The Return of Superfly	Inspector Wolinski
1994	The Stoned Age	Dad
1995	Get Shorty	Buddy Lupton	Uncredited
1996	White Cargo	Tony
1997	Most Wanted	TV Station Manager
1997	Acts of Betrayal	Martin Crispin
1997	Swimsuit: The Movie	Dylan Perry
1998	Spoiler	Uncle Hutchy
1999	Every Dog Has Its Day	Jack Sr.
2000	Blowback	Capt. Barnett
2001	The Confidence Man	The Lieutenant
2005	Crazylove	Mr. Santalucci
2006	Late Night Girls	Alan
2008	Mala wielka milosc	Used Car Dealer
2008	Evilution	Dr. Tyler
2010	Jelly	Robert Gills	(final film role)

References

External links

• David Groh at IMDb
• David Groh at the Internet Broadway Database
• David Groh at Internet Off-Broadway Database

На других языках

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- [en] David Groh

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[es] David Groh

David Lawrence Groh[1] (21 de mayo de 1939 – 12 de febrero de 2008[2]) fue un actor estadounidense, conocido principalmente por su interpretación de Joe Gerard en la serie televisiva de la década de 1970 Rhoda, actuando junto a Valerie Harper.

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