Biography
First making a name for himself off-Broadway, Silver eventually transitioned to the small screen, where he made regular appearances on several short-lived sitcoms and acclaimed made-for-television movies. He began to rise to prominence through his work in features, including "Silent Rage" (1982) and "Silkwood" (1983). But it was his stage work that helped make Silver a star, which culminated in a Tony-winning performance in David Mamet's …
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Career Milestones
| Appeared in several plays produced by Joseph Papp | ||
| Escaped Vietnam War on student deferment traveling throughout Asia on work-study program in the 1960s | ||
| Raised in Manhattan's Lower East Side | ||
| Studied acting and became involved in theater | ||
1969 | Returned from foreign travels | |
1971 | Made his Off-Broadway debut in "Kasper" | |
1973 | Starred as the impresario in the Off-Broadway spoof, "El Grande de Coca-Cola" | |
1976 | First regular role series role, playing the nerdy, sexually repressed neighbor, Gary Levy, on "Rhoda" (CBS) | |
1976 | Made feature acting debut in "Tunnelvision" | |
1980 | Co-starred on the short-lived CBS sitcom, "The Stockard Channing Show" | |
1983 | Co-starred in the Academy Award-nominated, "Silkwood"; directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep | |
1984 | Appeared in Mike Nichols's Broadway production of "Hurlyburly" | |
1984 | Played the devoted son of Anne Bancroft in Sidney Lumet's "Garbo Talks" | |
1986 | Joined Marlo Thomas for the Broadway production of the Mike Nichols directed, "Social Security" | |
1988 | Cast opposite Jerry Lewis in the 'Garment District Arc' of the CBS crime show, "Wiseguy" | |
1988 | Co-starred in David Mamet's Broadway play, "Speed-the-Plow" opposite Joe Mantegna and Madonna | |
1989 | Gave a well received performance as a Holocaust survivor in Paul Mazursky's Academy Award-nominated, "Enemies: A Love Story" | |
1989 | Played a psychopath opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in "Blue Steel" | |
1990 | Portrayed defense attorney Alan Dershowitz in "Reversal of Fortune"; based on the book by Dershowitz about the trial of Claus von Bülow | |
1992 | Featured in Billy Crystal's directorial debut, "Mr. Saturday Night" | |
1994 | Played the villainous Senator Aaron McComb in "Timecop" | |
1996 | Had a recurring role on the CBS medical drama, "Chicago Hope" as Christine Lahti's ex-husband | |
1998 | Played Alec Bilson, business partner and nemesis of Kirstie Alley's Ronnie Chase, in the NBC sitcom, "Veronica's Closet" | |
2000 | Portrayed attorney Robert Shapiro in the CBS miniseries, "American Tragedy"; based on the OJ Simpson trial | |
2001 | Played presidential campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli on the NBC political drama, "The West Wing"; earned an Emmy nomination in 2002 | |
2001 | Portrayed Muhammad Ali's boxing cornerman Angelo Dundee, opposite Will Smith as the title character, in Michael Mann's "Ali" | |
2004 | Narrated "FahrenHYPE 9/11," which examines and challenges Michael Moore's documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11" from a conservative point of view | |
2006 | Played a judge in Sidney Lumet's "Find Me Guilty," which depicts the longest criminal trial in U.S. history | |
2008 | Hosted "The Ron Silver Show" on Sirius Satellite Radio | |
Awards
1988 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor In a Miniseries or Special in The Billionaire Boys Club |
1988 | Tony Award for Actor (Play) |
2002 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in The West Wing |