Actor Ron Silver has died at age 62 following a prolonged battle with cancer. Silver had won acclaim in films, on stage and in TV series. He won the Tony for his performance on Broadway in David Mamet's
Speed-the-Plough and on the big screen, he was acclaimed for his role as lawyer Alan Dershowitz in
Reversal of Fortune. He also had a recurring role in the TV series
The West Wing. Silver had partnered with liberal actors such as Alec Baldwin and Susan Sarandon to form The Creative Coalition. However, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, his political philosophies swung to the right. He became a political activist in support of President Bush's policies, which made him a somewhat unique voice in the entertainment industry, though TV host Geraldo Rivera and Dennis Miller followed a similar tract. Silver maintained that his political conversion cost him jobs in an industry dominated by liberals and complained his once-hot acting career began to run cold. Still, he continued to put his energies into political activism and hosted his own radio program on satellite radio. His other films include
Enemies: A Love Story, Silkwood, Mr. Saturday Night and
Ali. For more
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